﻿362 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [10] 
  

  

  beautiful 
  iu 
  itself, 
  the 
  Tahiti 
  mother-of-pearl 
  is 
  hard, 
  homogeneous, 
  trans 
  

   parent, 
  iridescent, 
  and 
  of 
  darker 
  color 
  along 
  the 
  edges. 
  When 
  held 
  to 
  

   the 
  light, 
  it 
  shows 
  fiery 
  colors, 
  combining 
  all 
  the 
  colors 
  of 
  the 
  prism 
  ; 
  and 
  

   these 
  astonishing 
  reflections 
  unite 
  in 
  a 
  glittering 
  and 
  delightful 
  har- 
  

   mony. 
  Should 
  fashion 
  take 
  a 
  fancy 
  to 
  prefer 
  brown 
  and 
  azure 
  mother- 
  

   of-pearl, 
  our 
  oceanic 
  fisheries 
  can 
  satisfy 
  the 
  demands 
  of 
  industry 
  ; 
  for 
  

   no 
  mother-of-pearl 
  can 
  rival 
  that 
  of 
  Tahiti, 
  which, 
  moreover, 
  is 
  a 
  specialty 
  

   of 
  our 
  possessions 
  in 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Ocean. 
  

  

  Decrease 
  of 
  mother-of-pearl. 
  — 
  Iu 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  globe 
  where 
  mother- 
  

   of-pearl 
  beds 
  exist 
  the 
  fisheries 
  are 
  continually 
  extending 
  at 
  such 
  a 
  rate 
  

   that, 
  unless 
  proper 
  measures 
  for 
  protection 
  and 
  propagation 
  are 
  taken, 
  

   the 
  time 
  can 
  be 
  foreseen 
  when 
  the 
  banks 
  will 
  be 
  exhausted. 
  As 
  far 
  as 
  

   we 
  are 
  concerned, 
  our 
  fisheries 
  in 
  the 
  Gambier 
  and 
  Tuamotu 
  Islands 
  

   already 
  show 
  unmistakable 
  signs 
  of 
  exhaustion. 
  The 
  "bold" 
  mother- 
  

   of-pearl 
  has 
  become 
  so 
  rare 
  in 
  these 
  waters 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  only 
  at 
  a 
  

   very 
  great 
  depth. 
  And 
  if 
  the 
  yield 
  of 
  the 
  lagoons 
  is 
  not 
  noticeably 
  less 
  

   than 
  it 
  was 
  fifteen 
  or 
  twenty 
  years 
  ago, 
  the 
  reason 
  is 
  this, 
  that 
  the 
  fish- 
  

   ermen 
  go 
  to 
  a 
  greater 
  depth, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  gather 
  as 
  marketable 
  mother- 
  

   of-pearl 
  the 
  small 
  shells, 
  which 
  in 
  former 
  times 
  they 
  would 
  have 
  de- 
  

   spised 
  when 
  the 
  Tuamotu 
  fisheries 
  were 
  at 
  their 
  height. 
  

  

  Twenty 
  or 
  thirty 
  years 
  ago 
  the 
  trade 
  in 
  mother-of-pearl 
  in 
  the 
  Tua- 
  

   motu 
  Islands 
  was 
  very 
  profitable 
  to 
  those 
  engaged 
  in 
  it. 
  For 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  

   cheap 
  cloth, 
  some 
  handfuls 
  of 
  flour, 
  or 
  a 
  few 
  gallous 
  of 
  rum, 
  the 
  trader 
  

   could 
  get 
  half 
  a 
  ton 
  of 
  mother-of-pearl, 
  worth 
  1,000 
  or 
  2,000 
  francs, 
  or 
  

   beautiful 
  pearls 
  whose 
  value 
  the 
  natives 
  did 
  not 
  know. 
  This 
  archipelago 
  

   was 
  visited 
  by 
  vessels 
  of 
  different 
  nationalities. 
  Mother-of-pearl 
  was 
  

   abundant, 
  and 
  pearls 
  were 
  not 
  so 
  scarce 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  now. 
  Since 
  that 
  

   time 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  vessels 
  has 
  increased 
  $ 
  the 
  natives, 
  allured 
  by 
  the 
  

   advantages 
  of 
  a 
  trade 
  which 
  became 
  more 
  profitable 
  as 
  competition 
  in- 
  

   creased, 
  commenced 
  to 
  fish 
  with 
  the 
  most 
  improvident 
  ardor. 
  jSTow, 
  they 
  

   find 
  that 
  the 
  lagoons 
  are 
  less 
  productive, 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  gradually 
  being 
  

   exhausted, 
  and 
  that 
  even 
  some 
  of 
  those 
  which 
  used 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  most 
  pro- 
  

   ductive 
  show 
  signs 
  of 
  approaching 
  exhaustion. 
  

  

  Mother 
  -of 
  -pearl 
  fisheries. 
  — 
  The 
  natives 
  of 
  Tuamotu 
  have 
  no 
  other 
  

   industry 
  but 
  the 
  fisheries. 
  Their 
  aptitude 
  for 
  this 
  difficult 
  and 
  danger- 
  

   ous 
  occupation 
  is 
  truly 
  astonishing 
  ; 
  and 
  they 
  all 
  — 
  men, 
  women, 
  and 
  

   children 
  — 
  follow 
  it 
  for 
  a 
  living. 
  They 
  dive 
  like 
  fish 
  and 
  remain 
  under 
  

   the 
  water 
  several 
  minutes, 
  sometimes 
  going 
  to 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  25 
  fathoms 
  

   and 
  staying 
  under 
  the 
  water 
  for 
  three 
  minutes. 
  In 
  doing 
  this 
  they 
  are 
  

   exposed 
  to 
  the 
  greatest 
  dangers, 
  for 
  in 
  the 
  dark 
  depths 
  of 
  the 
  lagoons 
  

   there 
  are 
  many 
  sharks 
  which 
  roam 
  about 
  the 
  fishing 
  places 
  in 
  the 
  hope 
  

   of 
  finding 
  some 
  prey. 
  If, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  all 
  possible 
  vigilance 
  and 
  agility 
  

   the 
  diver 
  does 
  not 
  succeed 
  in 
  avoiding 
  the 
  sharks, 
  he 
  has 
  to 
  meet 
  them 
  

   in 
  an 
  unequal 
  and 
  terrible 
  combat. 
  

  

  Diving 
  is 
  not 
  only 
  a 
  very 
  dangerous 
  occupation 
  but 
  also 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   most 
  difficult 
  known. 
  In 
  the 
  beGinnincr 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  the 
  fishermen 
  are 
  

  

  