lETEODUCTION 



At the invitation of the Venezuelan Governnent the euthor had an opportimity to 

 visit in March-April I9U8 the principal pecxl oyster gro-unds in the vicinity of Margarita 

 Island. Ihjring this trip it was possible to inspect in detail the methods of fishing, to 

 observe the a-onraisal and sale of pearls in Porlamar, and to obtain an understanding of the 

 ver:-' efficient system of government management of the fishery by the Ministerio de Agricul- 

 tura y Crfa. The accomplishment of this task in a relatively short time v;as possible only 

 through very friendly end effective cooperation by the Sr. Ricardo Montilla, Ministro de 

 Af^ricultura y Cria in Caracas. Mr. Robert 0. Smith of the Tish and Wildlife Service, United 

 States Depprtnent of the Interior, serving as Chief of the United States Fishery Mission 

 to Venezuela, made travel arrangements, arranged for the cooperation of Venecuelan agencies, 

 and otheri\fise rendered valuable assistance. Sr. Julian Verois L. , Jefe de Seccion de Pes- 

 oueria de la Ministerio de Agricultura y Crfa, Sr. Jose Maria Velaso^uez, Encargado de la 

 Jefatur? de la Zona Pescuera de Oriente y Cap. Jos^ M. Mosq.ueira Manso, del Cuerpo General 

 de Servicios Marftimos, -orovided all the necessary facilities for field work, gave detailed 

 information regarding the various aspects of the pearl industry and the biology of the pearl 

 oyster and, tlirough their kind hospitality, made my sojourn in Venezuela both profitable 

 and -oleasant. It is my privilege to acknowledge here my indebtedness and express my thanks 

 to ail these gentlemen for their kind efforts and many courtesies. 



BRIEF HISTORY OF TEE PEABL TI SHEET 



The Atlantic pearl oyster, Pinctada margaritifera , found in several places along 

 the coast of Venezuela, is especially abundant around the Islands of Margarita, Cubagua, 

 and Coch^, located from 10 to 15 miles off the mainland. The area of distribution of this 

 species extends over the entire Caribbean Sea, but only in a few locations is the popula^- 

 tion of -oearl oysters dense enough for commercial exploitation. 



Long before the discovery of the New World, pearls were known to the Indians of 

 Central fnd South America. In many instances the Spaniards, who first landed on the islands 

 and on the mainland of South and Central America, found the savages wearing necklaces and 

 bracelets studded with pearls. Archaelogical explorations show that pearls were in vogae 

 among the civilized ueoples of Mexico and Peru, who used them to adorn their garments. It 

 is doubtfvil, however, that organized pearl fishery existed in these countries during the 

 tire-Columbian tine. So far as I know, no large accumulation of pearl oyster shells has 

 been found in shell deposits of the ancient time. For instance, the excavations made on 

 Margarita Island (De Booy, I916) show that the largest shell deposits near the village of 

 San JosI de Paraguschi, known as Giri-Giri, consist of various species of local mollusks, 

 such as Mytilus achat inus , Tivela mactroides , Fissuridea virescens , Murex rosarium . Purpura 

 floridana. , P. patula , P. haemastoma , Fasciolaria tulipa , Strombus gigas , Cypraea exanthema, 

 Livona pica , and others. The deposit contains, also, a number of fragnents of human bones, 

 sTilit as if to extract the marrow, occasional shards and other artefacts, but the shells 

 of the pearl oysters v;hich abound in the v;aters around the island are absent. 



There is no evidence that sixy pearls were discovered by Columbus during his first 

 and second voyages, but his interest in pearls undoubtedly existed, even when he first con- 

 ceived the xilan of his expedition. In the contract granted by the rulers of Spain on 

 April 17, 1U92, Columbus was given "right to keep for himself one-tenth of all the pearls, 

 precious stones, gold, silver, spices, etc." (Mosk, 1938). It appears significant that 

 among different valuables the pearls are listed in the first place. 



On the third voyage, after' touching the northern coast of South America at the 

 Gulf of Paria, Columbus sailed west, and on July 3I, 1U89 passed the three islands and, 

 strangely enough, named the largest of them "Margarita," which, in Spanish, signifies 

 "pearl." According to Gonzalo de Oviedo (1535) » Columbus was not aware at this time that 

 v/aters around Margarita a.boxmded in pearls. The next day, an Indian who v/as found in 

 •oossession of pearls, created great excitement and a search for pearls that ensued resulted 

 in the accumulation ^oy the crew of six marks (US ounces) of assorted pearls which were 

 obtained in exchange for buttons, needles, scissors, and fragments of earthenvrare. The 

 snail island between Margarita and the mainland, later known as Cubagua, v;as called by 



