v.-ere considered to te the property of the operating co:msca^. On Sundaj'-s the diver was 

 pemitted to fish for himself, "but he had to turn over to the company one half of all the 

 ■oearls and shells gathered on this daj-. 



Na2;ed divers v/orked tiy themselves at their ovm risk. Their majcimuw catch per 

 rian Tier daj/ did not exceed 50 I'b- 



Sermany was the principal market for the Panama mother-of-pearl shells, v;hich 

 v;ere shipped to Eajnhurg. Other cities to which shells were exported in much small quaatir- 

 ties were, in order of their importance, London, New York, Paris, Trieste, Barcelona, and 

 Genoa. 



VALUE AKD QUALITY OF PEARLS 



Statistical data on the ojiantities and value of pearls taken in Panama are less 

 reliahle than those referring to the mother-of-pearl shells. Many transactions in pearls 

 were made -orivately without any official record. The quantities and values of pearls 

 flven in Tahle 1 can "be considered as minimun figures, prohahly representing only a small 

 fraction of the total catch. Comparison hetween the production of pearls and mother-of- 

 pearl shells shows that in the economy of the country the trade in shells v/as far more 

 important than the trade in pearls. The maximum annual values of $57,52!+ for pearls (I92U) 

 and $139,7140 for shells (1922) are not very fax apart, but the total recorded value of 

 pearls for the years 1922-193S is much less than that of the value of mother-of-pearl for 

 the same period. This indicates that the production of shells was a much more stable and 

 reliable source of income than the pearls. According to Sr. Pinel, some of the pearl 

 fishing comnanies in Panama considered that the revenue from the sale of shells would 

 completely cover their expenses, and profits would be derived entirely from the sale of 

 Tjearls. Reliable information as to the abundance of pearls and their q.uality is, hov/ever, 

 lacking. Any finding of an exceptionally valuable pearl is a matter of common knov/ledge. 

 I'reo^uently, however, the disposal of the pearl is a deep secret and its sale is not 

 recorded in official statistics. 



Most of the Panama pearls are white, but occasionally dark green, green, and pink 

 pearls are found. Green -oearls are considered great rarities and bring high prices. One 

 of the recent findings, shovm to me, was a magnificent deep-green pearl of about U l/2 

 carats. Its color and lustre were so exquisite tl-iat, in spite of irregularities in shape, 

 the pearl was appraised at not less than $200 a carat. According to Sr. Pinel, the last 

 valuable pearl of excellent quality found by one of his divers was obtained about 12 years 

 ago. It was appraised and sold for about $5,000. 



METHODS OF IinrESTIGATIOIT 



Several explanations for the scarcity of pearl oysters in Panama waters suggested 

 by the local press received considerable publicity. They fall into three categories: 

 (1) oysters were destroyed by some unknown disease; (2) they were poisoned by the dumping 

 of explosives and poisonous gasesj and (3) they were killed by some specific poison or germ 

 secretly placed near Bearl 'grounds by the Japanese fishermen in retaliation for Japan's 

 defeat in World War 11. Advocates of each of these theories presented various arguments in 

 su-o-oort of their views. The reports of several divers that there were many dead or dying 

 oysters on the -orincipal pearl grounds around the Pearl Islands seemed to support the first 

 viev;. The existence of a large dumping area set aside by the U. S. Goverment at the 

 entrance of the Gulf, aAd shovm on U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Chart No. IOI9, provided 

 i^roijnds for the second assumption. The area in q.uestion is located, however, beyond the^ 

 1,000 fathom curve, about 50 miles south of the southern end of San Jos^ Island. The third 

 theory was based on q.uotations from some unidentified person or persons who allegedly heard 

 of the threats made iy the Japanese that the pearl-oyster fishery v/onild cease to exist after 

 the detiortation of Japanese citizens from Panama. Suggestions were also offered that the 

 influx of v;ater from the Humboldt current carrying "red tide" may have killed the oysters. 

 In discussing the matter with many persons engaged in' commercial fishing in Panama, I was 

 unable to obtain evidence corroborating any of these theories. There was no marked dis- 

 coloration of water, and no mortality of fish or other animals was observed, which one would 



10 



