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THE PEARL
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fishermen,
it may be stated here that the shell-buyers pay about twenty-five per
cent, less for the mussels as taken from the river than they do for the
shells when cleaned.
On
the Californian coast when the divers worked independently, they
preferred to sell the oysters unopened. They received about $4.50 per
thousand on an average for the shells and double for the oysters
complete.
The
fishing season for pearlers is from August to December. The large
operations for shell, in the early days of the industry, were confined
to the same period, but of late, fishing is carried on throughout the
year, immense quantities being taken through the ice. The shells are
better in cold weather, being less brittle than when exposed in the
boats during warm weather. Fishing through the ice is very wasteful
however, as the undersized, which are dropped back from the scoops and
rakes in the summer, when thrown out on the ice are allowed to remain
there and die.
The
price of shells varies considerably from season to season. An average
price for nigger-heads is about ten dollars per ton; sand-shells
270
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