Pearl oysters which have undergone implantation rest for one or two weeks in the sea near the farm,and then they are moved to the waters off shore where they form pearls.

Various types of baskets have been devised according to the stages of the pearl culturing process. Until the mid 1960s most baskets were made of meshed metal coated with coal tar,but those made of synthetic resin have replaced them.There are more than 100 types of baskets varying in the size with different shapes and sizez of mesh. Lantern Basket Usually 2 or 3 lantern baskets are piled up and suspended together containing the spats of pearl oysters. Russell Basket Russell baskets are used to hold oysters that have undergone implantation. Round Basket Round baskets are used as temporary containers of oysters. Net Panel Net Panels are used to hold oysters that have undergone implantation. Sea water can go through them very easily and it is easy to clean the shells inside. Basket with a lid which can be opened and shut.

Net Panel

Russell Basket

Round Basket

There are two types of rafts. One is a wooden frame raft made of Japanese cypress logs wired together,and the other is a raft made of resin floats tied together with ropes. The log rafts are used near the base farm. These wooden rafts are strong enough to support people as they go about their work. The float rafts have a low resistance to waves and are anchored out at sea where currents flow. Workers go out to the float rafts by boat to take care of the pearl oysters. Floatrafts Wooden frame rafts

There are many sea creatures such as barnacles,sea squirts and sea moss that attach themselves to the oysters. As proliferation of these creatures in the baskets prevents the free flow of water and degrades the environment for pearl oysters,the oysters'shell are cleaned periodically. They are cleaned more often during the summer months. The shells are cleaned using the tools shown beolw. A type of fork is used to scrape off barnacles. Knives are used to cut and cleavers are used to clean off the shells. Cleaning shells by machine. Jets of water remove troublesome sea creatures.

As strong winds and rains drive rafts away and cause great damage to pearl oysters,workers try to get information about the weather in advance and take some countermeasures such as moving oysters to safety. They are also constantly monitoring the changing condition of the water by measuring the water temperature and the quantity of oxygen dissolved in the water. Typhoon Red tide