2.1 Assessment of Mabe Pearl Quality
All Mabe pearls were inspected for quality one by one (over 400 pieces experimentally harvested and stocked since 1993). Pearls and oysters under culture were also sampled to check for quality. To make a comparative study of the quality of Mabe oyster in Vava'u, the mission collected samples of Mabe oysters from a pearl farmer in Fiji.
2.2 Site and Environmental Survey
Prior to the field survey in Vava'u, all proposed sites were first selected from the chart based on information by the Fisheries staff on wind direction, wave action, currents, inflow of rivers, fishing activities, navigation routes, etc. At each proposed site, the water quality, bottom characteristics, coastal topography, land flora and other relevant physical elements were surveyed to assess the technical suitability of farming sites. In addition to this, a land survey was also made to assess land utilization, soil fertility, river features, etc.
2.3 Potential of Local Processing of Mabe Pearls
To assess the possibility of local processing of Mabe pearls, the mission visited three shellfish hand-craft manufacturers in Vava'u.
