The output of freshwater pearls in China ranks first in the world, but the quality is not satisfactory. At present, nearly 1 billion young mussels are cultivated every year in China, and the production of pearl mussels can reach 5-8 million. If it weren't for a large number of deaths caused by mussel disease, the annual output of commercial pearl mussels and pearls would be more than twice as high as at present. Therefore, it is urgent to improve the quality of pearls and limit the output.
1. Technical progress
The rapid increase of pearl production in China is firstly due to the breakthrough of artificial collection technology of hookworm larvae and the continuous progress of juvenile and juvenile mussel cultivation technology. Although the techniques of artificial insemination and artificial incubation of mussels have not been solved, the real artificial reproduction of mussels has not been realized in production. However, in production, it has been possible to cultivate young mussels on a large scale from the collection of hookworm larvae, thus ensuring the source of surgical mussels. The popularization of this technology has enabled farmers in the north and south of the river to master it quickly and has completely achieved large-scale production.
Secondly, a team of female workers specializing in surgical operations has been formed. In Hanshou, Hunan, Guichi, Wuhu and other places, this township has become the origin of surgical operators, and the number of surgical operators in each township can reach tens of thousands. Pearl-breeding operation has become an important way to export local labor services. Through the development of "master-apprentice" style, the team of surgical operators has been stable, expanded and continued, which has guaranteed the manpower of surgical operation.
Thirdly, the control technology of mussel disease has been broken through, and the culture technology of pearl mussels has been improved to some extent. The technology of cultivating plankton and cultivating pearl mussels with fertilizer and water draws lessons from the pond culture technology model of "fertilizing and raising fish". In the production management, the main way is to change the perforated hanging culture to the cage culture mode of "net bag and net clip". In large-scale production, the innovation and progress of cage culture of operational mussels made it possible to raise seedlings and operate pearls in the same year, shortening the pearl breeding cycle.
2. Problems
The popularization and development of mussel pearl breeding technology has also brought many problems. At present, pearl production is no longer a project that earns huge profits, and the era of profiteering has passed. However, the high profitability of pearl cultivation for many years has made practitioners ignore the role of science and technology in production, and blind production continues.
(1) The Pearl Industry Association in China is still not perfect. In some places, it has become a semi-official organization, lacking industry coordination and self-discipline, and the production of pearls is completely out of order. It is a long way to go to limit output and improve quality.
(2) Due to the increasing output of pearls, the demand for pearl quality in the whole market is also increasing. Although pearl deep processing technology is also improving, and pearl products are more widely used, low-grade pearls will still face surplus. The standard connotation of "big, bright, round and gorgeous" is also constantly changing. Therefore, in mass production, increasing the proportion of high-quality pearls by prolonging the breeding cycle is the only way to adapt to the market, which also objectively limits the annual output. However, the pearl industry has not yet actively and consciously restricted pearl production.
(3) The method of collecting hookworm larvae from mature pearl mussels to cultivate young mussels has been used for many years, which leads to the increasingly serious degradation of Hyriopsis cumingii germplasm. The production performance and disease resistance of pearl mussels are declining.
(4) The operators lack formal training, so it is difficult to popularize and apply new technologies and new processes. The management of labor and employment of the operator team is even more out of the question. The seasonality of pearl breeding operation makes the operator team keep the migratory bird-like mobility, which is another concentrated expression of the backward production mode of pearl breeding industry.
(5) In aquaculture production, backward production management is still very common not only for ordinary farmers and small and medium-sized farms, but also for large companies. Pearl enterprises, like most mussel farmers, lack scientific and technological awareness, and "planting widely and harvesting sparingly, leaving things to fate" is still the dominant idea of pearl cultivation production management. The formulation and promotion of technical standards for mussel pearl breeding industry has just begun, and the work is still quite arduous.
3. The way to solve the problem
The production of freshwater pearls has not yet entered the era of "meager profit", but we should also take precautions to make the industry develop sustainably. ① We should start with germplasm resources and strengthen the breeding of mussel species. ② We should start with the management of the operator team and actively promote the new surgical technology and systematic disinfection technology. (3) Through publicity and training by the government, trade associations and other means, improve the scientific and technological awareness of the owners of mussel pearl breeding. Popularize and popularize the scientific theory and knowledge of raising mussels and pearls. ④ Popularizing population control technology can improve the overall survival rate of mussel pearl breeding industry. ⑤ Strengthen the construction of trade associations, give full play to the role of associations, consciously limit the annual output of pearls, and strive to improve the quality of pearls. ⑥ Further research on the application of large diameter round freshwater nucleated pearls. ⑦ Further develop and utilize low-grade pearls and broaden their uses.