BANDAR LENGEH, Hormozgan Prov. (IRNA) – Fishing pearl oysters of the Pinctada fucata (painted pearl shell) species was banned in Bandar Lengeh, west of Hormozgan Province, up to the yearend (March 20).

The initiative was taken in a bid to help preserve the pearl oyster reserves of the Persian Gulf which have been shrinking in recent years.

Head of the city's Fishery Department called for the assistance and attention of local fishermen toward the environmental restriction. Hossein Rias observed, "Bandar Lengeh has for centuries been the center of the pearl oyster fishery both domestically and across the region. "Pearls obtained from the region are globally famous," He continued, "Each year, divers go pearling during summer. But the shell reserves have diminished and the quality of pearls has deteriorated."

Researchers carried out by the Persian Gulf Molluscs Fisheries Research Station in Bandar Lengeh have acknowledged a decline in the quality and quantity of the total pearl catch, he added. Rias went on, "Warning that over-fishing would put extra pressure on pearl reserves in the Persian Gulf, experts have demanded that pearl oyster fishing be banned or restricted."

He recalled that more than 4,700 pearls worth 26.2 million rials had been obtained in Bandar Lengeh last year, indicating a 97-percent decline compared to previous years' catches.

There are two species namely the Pinctada margaritifera (also known as black-lip) and Pinctada fucata (painted pearl shell) in Persian Gulf waters along Bandar Lengeh which are hunted via traditional methods.

According to him, divers go into a depth of 10-15 meters in the hunt for pearl-bearing mollusks without using diving accessories.