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Show E6 TheSalt Lake Tribune BUSINESSSunday, August 30, 1998 MysteryDisease Devastating Japan’s Cultured Pearl Industry BY MARI YAMAGUCHI oeeae dustrywill go belly up. The die-off is causing some ch shortages on the world market ZORA: Japan — Just over a and prices are ri: people in century ago, an enterp the American gem trade Japan's Pacific coast rob Mother Natureof oneofher tor of the Cultured P mation Center, a trade pearl Now, natureis striking back to pushprices upby 1 15 percent this year seVeral years has almost made JaPan's pearl oysters anendangered Speeies. Unless a solutionis fou for Curt Parker Jewelers in St Louis, offered a predic- chitrming secrets — howto oysters. ng the Akoyason viruses, ee come increas: direc Elizabeth Parker, an appraiser ay We haven't been able to isolate anyvirus, at least at our lab Number of live ‘styear_ 2nd year 131.96 32.55 mount harvesthe year before the a pathologist at the National Research Institute of Aquaculture. Number of live shelis (Feb 98) 56.74 15.68 (millions, Those deaths were “redtide,” a deadly ly unknown.” A government-led team recent- L_ Source: Fishery Agency heterocapsa. ly speculated the culprit might be “It could be even somethingtotal- (mitions) Mortality (1997) 57.0% 51.8% = i ee ee ee ape is unknown, hi the oysters now —_a shellfish parasite called perkin- grow pearls, technological im- was a lot of work, but oysters ever, butitisun- jewelry trade show deniably deadly sus, which devastated oysters in the Mississippi River delta nearly provements have made the process easier and more exact. seemed healthier and happier,” said grower Nishii more than much higher 20 percent Since Kokichi Mikimoto founder of Japan's top pearlcompany, Mikimoto and Co., started artificial insemination and other scientific tinkering may have inadvertently spawned oysters that _rible,”’ he said. “The oceanis polluted, and oysters areartificially enlarged so they produce larger June, she again this year, “most ofus willbe forced to quit,” said Toru Nishii @ Bearl grower who has been in Although the bigger and more expensive South Sea pearls from yes. “I'm afraid the entire in- ground, Japan's Akoya cultured thes business for more than 40 > Japanese Akoya oyster mortality1 but their findings have been met with skeptictam: pleased with theprices” at a fine The mortality rate surged to “They were not as high as | said. expected. Uf the oysters die en masse s200 venerable pearl industry. shelis (Jan '97) ead oyster deaths 8 ES years now threatens Japan's Some marine biologists suspect here,” said Toshihiko Matsusato, caused by a tion, but considers that modest given the situation “I was ve! The outbreakof a mysterious 4, Tors — disease over the last several pan, down 22 tons of pearls New York, expects A mysterious disease the last [Precious Pearle ccanmnmone or nearly 55 percent — were firstand second-year _pearl-bearing 65 percent of sales in the United States. report Davia Macceg aiccutive lager in this little fishing ooh, Japan’s venerable pearl dustry fears it may be on the out minate much of the — including nearly vercent last year, than the average of percent, accord- ing to Fishery Agency statistics. Australia and Tahiti are gaining Of the deaths. abou 92 million — 50 years ago. the industry 105 years ago by “Today, the environmentis ter- But somepearl growers suspect are more proneto disease. learning how to induce oysters to “Decades ago, growing pearls pearls. Something’s not quite’ right.” | F Complete Multimedia Computers | ae ENR 2h igital-Ready Television _ : with 5” Monitor & Printer! AMD™ ™ 300 Mhz. AMD®k6™ with MMX technology New Combination TV/computer monitor with . ? fi et ane Lb future digital TV andhigh-definition capability. Processor H6 Processor U6 Megs Ram, ie ’ Mini tower Case, 3.2 GigHard Drive, ?-U Me. 20 and 6 Bit ind Or ra AMD” 300 Muz. leg Video and I6 Bit Sound Onbea 5" SVGAColor Monitor, 56K V.90 Modem, 32 X CD Rom M4 eB role: = Me 4g } ax™ meee Wardows 95, Croker En! . 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