It was also time to assess the status of knowledge and what would be the new priorities. Indeed, like a natural ecosystem, the French Polynesia black pearl industry has reached its climax, collapsed, and is now in a recovery stage. The official numbers from the

Institut de la Statistique de Polynésie Française (ISPF) show the changes in total exported production, monetary value per gram and total number of concessions since these variables are monitored ( Fig. 2 and Fig. 3). Prices collapsed in the year 2000s, due primarily to overproduction of lowest quality pearls and poor management and control of the commercial distribution towards international Asian, American and European markets. Prices plummeted from around 100US$ per gram in 1985 down to less than 5US$ in 2010. Consequently, the BMN 673 clinical trial number Capmatinib clinical trial of concessions decreased steadily throughout

the Tuamotu and Gambier. In 2010, respectively 425, 102 and 28 concessions were granted for respectively Tuamotu, Gambier (mostly in Mangareva, a high island with a wide lagoon) and Society Archipelagos, thus a total of 555 concessions. In 2011, the last available overall number is 541. In 1999, 2745 concessions were active. Small family businesses took a heavy toll with the collapse of the prices. They represented in 2011 80% of the farms for 20% of the export market. The total concession area is now limited to 10000 hectares all lagoons included. In 2011, this represented 26 atolls and 4 islands. Among them, 15 atolls are collecting atolls. The industry is now trying to rebuild the equilibrium between offer and demand, with the hope that curves of prices per pearl and per gram will rise. Dimethyl sulfoxide Pearl quality is closely monitored for exportation. Eleven millions pearls have been controlled in 2010, which represented 18.3 tons. Low quality pearls are destroyed and farmers

receive a fixed rate of 0.5 US$ per destroyed gram as a compensation. In 2010, 400 kg of these poor quality pearls have been disregarded. In addition, commercial promotion and selling networks are also restructured. The aquaculture of black pearl in French Polynesia has thus modified the livelihoods of thousands of islanders in the past 30 years. It has also reshaped the atollscape, with numerous farms, buildings, pontoons and boats appearing and disappearing along shores and coral pinnacles. Tens of thousands of buoys and millions of hanging lines dot the lagoons, spread in the official 10000 hectares of concessions all over French Polynesia. Millions of oysters have been artificially hanging in the water column instead of living on deep atoll floors. Naturally separated oyster populations have been mixed, and species of sponges, anemones (in particular Aiptasia pallida) and other epibionts have been introduced in lagoons.