Black Pearls, Inc. (BPI) works in marine biological research and aquaculture development. The company was the first to develop commercial-scale hatchery culture techniques for the famed Tahitian black-lip pearl oyster, Pinctada margaritifera. This has led to the expansion of pearl culture across the Pacific over the past decade. BPI is involved in commercial pearl farming projects in Australia, Thailand, the Philippines, and the Marshall Islands, and has applied for the first-ever Hawaiian pearl farm lease, within a few miles of Waikiki. BPI also played a lead role in the set up a U.S.-based pearl biotechnology consortium, aiming to improve pearl seeding and farming techniques and thereby increase farm profitability. BPI has also conducted research under Federal contracts and grants into : probiotic larval culture systems; non-toxic antifouling coatings; continuous-culture photobioreactors; heavy metal pollution monitoring in the marine environment; biotechnological improvements for tissue transplants in pearl culture; stock re-establishment programs for imperiled coral reef species; innovative development models for commercial aquaculture in Pacific Islands; Environmental Impact Assessments for industrial-scale projects in sensitive or remote sites; containerized hatchery and nursery technology for bivalve and finfish culture; evaluation of the potential for regional collaboration in aquaculture, and pioneering the legal pathways for offshore aquaculture leases in Hawaii.
