fishing
gathering
clam digging
pearl diving
ama divers
abalone
scallops
noodling
trout tickling
trout binning
flounder tramping
techniques
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Pearl hunting or pearl diving refers to a now largely obsolete method of retrieving pearls from oysters and, on rare occasions, other nacre-producing creatures, such as abalone. For the computer security term see Phishing. Fishing is the activity of catching Fish. Gathering seafood by hand can be as easily as picking Shellfish or Kelp up off the Beach, or doing some digging for Clams or Crabs Clam digging is a common means of harvesting Clams from below the surface of the tidal Mud flats where they live Pearl hunting or pearl diving refers to a now largely obsolete method of retrieving Pearls from Pearl oysters Freshwater pearl mussels and on uminchu (海人 in Okinawa Islands) or kaito (in Izu Peninsula) are Japanese divers, famous for collecting Pearls The Abalone (from Spanish Abulón) are medium-sized to very large edible sea Snails marine Gastropod Mollusks in the A scallop (ˈskɒləp or /ˈskæləp/ is a marine Bivalve Mollusk of the family Pectinidae. For other meanings see Noodle (disambiguation. Noodling is a Southern US practice of Fishing for Catfish using Trout tickling is the art of rubbing the underbelly of a Trout using fingers Trout binning is a method of fishing possibly fictional described in the English Periodical "The Mirror of Literature Amusement and Instruction" (Vol Flounder tramping is a traditional method of catching Flounder or other flat fish by wading in shallow water and standing on them There is an intricate link between various fishing techniques and knowledge about the fish and their behavior including migration foraging and habitat (Keegan 1986 A pearl is a hard roundish object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled Mollusk. The common name oyster is used for a number of different groups of Bivalve Mollusks most of which live in marine habitats or Brackish water. Nacre, also known as mother of pearl, is an organic-inorganic Composite material produced by some Mollusks as an inner shell layer Abalone (from Spanish Abulón) are medium-sized to very large edible sea Snails marine Gastropod Mollusks in the

History

Pearl diver in Japan

Before the beginning of the 20th century, the only means of obtaining pearls was by searching through oysters manually gathered and opened at random on the ocean floor or on lake or river bottoms. Free-divers were often forced to descend to depths of over 100 feet on a single breath, exposing them to the dangers of hostile creatures, waves, and drowning, often as a result of deep water blackout on resurfacing. Drowning is Death as caused by suffocation when a liquid causes interruption of the body's absorption of oxygen from the air leading to Asphyxia. A deep water blackout is a loss of consciousness caused by Cerebral hypoxia on ascending from a deep Freedive or breath-hold dive typically of ten metres or more Often, because of these dangers, divers were slaves or of low social status (which is also true of many fisherfolk around the world). Because of the difficulty of diving and the unpredictable nature of natural pearl growth in oysters, pearls of the time were extremely rare and of varying quality.

Whilst many pearls in Asia could be found on shoals at a depth of 5-7 feet (1. 5-2 meters) from the surface, more often than not divers had to go 40 feet (12 meters) or even up to 125 feet (40 meters) deep to find the oysters, which was extremely hazardous for the divers. In the 19th century, divers in Asia had only very basic forms of technology to aid their survival at such depths. For example, in some areas, they greased their bodies to conserve heat, put greased cotton in their ears, wore a tortoise-shell clip to close their nostrils, and had a wide mouthed basket or net to hold the oysters. ^[1]

However, the late Ming Dynasty Chinese book Tiangong Kaiwu, published in the year 1637, showed a new method for pearl divers. The Ming Dynasty ( or Empire of the Great Ming ( was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol -led Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River ( valley in the Neolithic era Its author Song Yingxing wrote of the methods of pearl diving in Guangdong. Song Yingxing ( Traditional Chinese:宋應星 Simplified Chinese:宋应星 Wade Giles: Sung Ying-Hsing; 1587-1666 AD was a Chinese Guangdong ( EFEO: Kouangtong; Pinyin Guǎngdōng; Postal map spelling: Kwangtung) is a province on the ^[2] Song wrote that these divers were able to stay underwater for prolonged periods of time since a secure rope was tied around their waists connected to the ship as they breathed through a long curving pipe that led up above the surface of the water. Underwater is a term describing the realm below the surface of Water where the water exists in a natural feature (called a body of water) such as an Ocean ^[2] This long breathing tube was strengthened by rings of tin and fastened to a watertight leather face mask. Tin is a Chemical element with the symbol Sn (stannum and Atomic number 50 In Breathing sets a mouthpiece is a part that the user grips in his Mouth, to make a watertight seal between the breathing set and his mouth ^[2] A drawn illustration of this was provided in his book. ^[3]

For thousands of years, most seawater pearls were retrieved by divers working in the Indian Ocean, in areas like the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and in the Gulf of Mannar (between Sri Lanka and India). The Persian Gulf, in the Southwest Asian region is an extension of the The Red Sea is a Salt water Inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. The Gulf of Mannar is a large shallow bay that is an arm of the Laccadive Sea in the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Pearl divers near the Philippines were also successful at harvesting large pearls, especially in the Sulu Archipelago. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP Sulu Archipelago is an island chain in the southwest Philippines. In fact, pearls from the Sulu Archipelago were considered the "finest of the world" which were found in "high bred" shells in deep, clear, and rapid tidal waters. At times, the largest pearls belonged by law to the sultan, and selling them could result in the death penalty for the seller. However many made it out of the archipelago in stealth ending up in the possession of the wealthiest families in Europe. ^[4]

In a similar manner as in Asia, Native Americans harvested freshwater pearls from lakes and rivers like the Ohio, Tennessee, and Mississippi, while others successfully retrieved marine pearls from the Caribbean and waters along the coasts of Central and South America. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States The Ohio River is the largest Tributary by volume of the Mississippi River. The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a

In the time of colonial slavery in northern South America (off the northern coasts of modern Colombia and Venezuela), a unique occupation amongst slaves was that of a pearl diver. A diver's career was often short-lived because the waters being harvested were known to be shark-infested, resulting in frequent attacks on divers. However, a slave who discovered an extra-large pearl could sometimes purchase his freedom. Common knowledge at the time was that sexual activity increased buoyancy, so slave divers were prohibited from any contact with women. Slave owners kept slave quarters male-only, and because of this homosexuality was relatively high amongst slave pearl divers. ^[5]

The present

Today, pearl diving has largely been supplanted by cultured pearl farms, which use a process developed by Japanese entrepreneur Kokichi Mikimoto. ( 10 March 1858 &ndash 21 September 1954) was a Japanese entrepreneur and adopter of the Mise/Nishikawa technique for production Particles implanted in the oyster encourage the formation of pearls, and allow for more predictable production. Today's cultured pearl industry produces millions of high quality pearls every year. A cultured pearl is a Pearl created by a pearl farmer under controlled conditions

Pearl diving in the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers still exists today. The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. These pearls are called natural pearls, because they are created by mother nature alone, and are not cultivated by humans. Their shapes are uniquely baroque. Less than 1% are found in the classic round shape. They are very rare and considered collectors items. The Hobby of collecting includes seeking locating acquiring organizing cataloging displaying storing and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector

References

See also

• Fijiri - vocal music of the Arabian pearl diver. Fidjeri ( Arabic: الفجيري; sometimes spelled fijri or fidjeri) is the specific repertoire of Vocal
• Ganter, Regina (1994). The Pearl-Shellers of Torres Strait: Resource Use, Development and Decline, 1860s-1960s. Melbourne University Press. ISBN 0-522-84547-9.  
• George Frederick Kunz: Book of the Pearl (G. F. Kunz was America's leading gemologist and worked for Tiffany's in the beginning of the 20th century)

External links

• The Pearl Guide
• American Museum of Natural History