Summary

Pearl culture is now more than a century old and its practices are constantly evolving. In many instances, the pearl industry is acutely aware of the importance environment in which they operate and have taken steps to protect that environment. Accordingly pearl culture in Australia is acknowledged to be among the most environmentally friendly forms of aquaculture with demonstrable positive environmental impacts.  This however is not universal across the global pearl industry and has not diverted criticism of particular practices. This chapter looks at those practices to discuss the potential impacts that have or may occur. It investigates how pearl culture activities, if poorly managed, can significantly impinge upon biological systems, physically alter environments, be a source of chemical pollution or have aesthetic or social impacts.