Central Coast Home & Lifestyle Spring 2020

An Australian first: Pears of Australia Successfully Spawned Two Different Species at Once

P earls of Australia, a third-generation family business, has successfully spawned two species of pearl oysters across its hatcheries at the same time. These newspawnings are a significant achievement, particularly during COVID-19 with its impacts being felt both domestically and around the world. The company’s tourism and retail employees were given a hands-on role, to concentrate efforts during this down-time on spawning pearl oysters, in an initiative to boost the cultivation of authentic Australian pearls and ensure the industry’s livelihood in the years to come. The spawnings have occurred between Pearls of Australia’s two pearl farm operations which produce two different pearl oyster species: the Broken Bay Pearl Farm on the NSW Central Coast producing the Pinctada fucata  ‘Akoya’ pearl, and the Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm in Broom in WA producing the famous giant Pinctada maxima  ‘Australian South Sea’ pearl.

they are able to be ‘seeded’ to start the pearl culturing process, and then it takes another 18 months to two years before the pearls are fully grown and ready for harvesting. From there, it can be another whole year for the pearls to be sorted, graded, and set into jewellery designs ready for sale. Live from the Shellar Door on the banks of the mighty Hawkesbury River, Pearls of Australia and Broken Bay Pearl Farm have launched their first ever virtual pearl harvest. Business owner James Brown took to the virtual airwaves to share one of nature’s miracles – the harvest of a locally cultured pearl from the Australian Akoya pearl shell, grown in the waters north of Sydney at Broken Bay. Visit our online store for our range of locally grown and fully certified Australian pearl jewellery. www.pearlsofaustralia.com.au or phone: 9985 1479

Representing over 70 years of pearling, Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm in WA is the oldest Australian-owned pearl farm and their hatchery operation is essential in its efforts to recover the industry from a disease that devastated the industry in 2007 and its ongoing productivity issues. While Broken Bay Pearl Farm – NSW’s only cultured pearl farm - represents the development of an entirely new industry for the state, opening in 2003. “Timing is everything when it comes to spawning oysters; similar to coral - the moon and the seasons must align, and February and March full moons are the optimum times of the year. The fact that the two different pearl oyster species on either side of the country managed to spawn at the same time is a truly exciting and magical event.” It takes up to 6 years from spawning tiny little oyster larvae in specialised hatcheries to finally harvesting a pearl. The oysters are generally around 2 to 3 years of age before

W e want to help you make well informed and kinder choices when purchasing eggs. Egg producers have added confusing claims on egg cartons. To end factory farming, animals urgently need caring consumers to make the right choices. ‘Organic and Humane Choice’ - Certified organic eggs come from hens kept on farms which meet and exceed standards of the best free range facilities. However, simply the word ‘organic’ on an egg carton can sometimes mislead people to think the welfare of hens meets certified organic standards when it may merely mean that hens in barns are fed organic grains. Only logos on the egg carton indicate that the hens are raised on a certified organic farm. Claims on egg cartons There are many other marketing terms used on egg cartons to imply higher welfare. These labels should be read discerningly. Terms such as ‘Vegetarian’, ‘Eco eggs’ and ‘Omega 3 eggs’ for example are not recognised descriptors that define the type of housing system or a level of welfare for hens. The term ‘Cage-free’ is also regularly used but it is important to note that these hens are raised in barns and do not have access to the outdoors. Likewise, don’t be fooled by clever imagery — some cartons may depict birds sitting on nests, or green rolling fields, but unless accompanied by an accreditation label, these images are most likely to be inaccurate. Put the chicken before the egg...Choose humanely and make a difference