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'File 3/6 Iranian Fisheries.' [‎81r] (161/174)

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The record is made up of 1 file (85 folios). It was created in 8 Oct 1936-18 Apr 1942. It was written in English and Arabic. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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X
v ^P.Z.4225/39
CQx^FIDMTIAL
B.M.(N.H.)
^3339/39
BRITISH r/IUSEUM (NATURAL HISTORY) „
Cromwell Road,
London, S.W.7.
7th July,1939.
Sir,
I am directed "by the Trustees of the British Museum
to refer to Mr. Peel’s letter, P.Z.2118/39, of the 19th April
on the subject of pearl fisheries in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . The
Trustees directed me to state for the information of Lord
Zetland that the Questions raised in the letter under reply
have been considered by the appropriate members of the
scientific staff in this Museum and that the literature on the
subject has been consulted.
The Trustees are advised that research on the pearl
fisheries of Ceylon have demonstrated that -
(1) the pearl banks all lie at depths between 5 and
12 fathoms. 1
(2) the pearl oyster begins to reproduce at the age of
12 months and produces large numbers of veligers
twice a year;
(3) pearls are usually produced by oysters between the
ages of 22 and 4 years;
(4) owing to the set of the currents the fry is frequently
carried away from the oyster banks and perishes with
the result that only occasionally are there years when
the banks are worth fishing;
(5) the authorities are of opinion that pearl fishing is
likely to result only to a negligible extent in
diminishing the fishery in the future. The chief
enemies of the pearl oysters are not the pearl fishers,
but rays and other fishes and molluscs.
It would appear that in the case of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
the conditions under heading ( 4 ) differ from those in Ceylon,
but those indicated under the other headings are likely to be
similar in both cases. Since the oysters begin to reproduce
at least a year before they are fit to fish, the fishing is
unlikely to affect the maintenance of the stock unless it is
conducted on such lines as to destroy the mature oysters which
have not yet begun to produce pearls. There is no reason to
suppose that a deep-sea pearl fishery could profitably be
established, but the opinion of those who have been consulted
is that if such a fishery were established it would be
scarcely likely to affect the oyster population in the
shallower beds.
The Trustees directed me to transmit the foregoing
comments with the reservation that they emanate from men whose
knowledge is not derived from actual experience of pearl
fishing. The Trustees suggest that if Lord Zetland sees no
The Under-Secretary of State,
India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. ,
•.Thitehall, S.W.l.

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Content

This file documents concerns held by the British that pearl fisheries – both within and beyond the territorial waters of the Arab rulers – might be exploited by foreign parties. Much of the correspondence speculates on the extent of Persia's interest in the pearl fisheries that are not within their own territorial waters, including not only those identified by the British as being Arab fisheries but also the following recently identified fisheries: shallow beds outside territorial waters that have not been worked by Arab pearl divers, and deep beds outside territorial waters that have not been exploited by Arab divers and in fact cannot be exploited without mechanical equipment.

The file contains copies of correspondence between the Admiralty, the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. , and the Foreign Office, which discusses how best to protect the deep water beds from foreign exploitation (i.e. by Persian, Japanese, or other foreign parties), in light of the fact that the Arab rulers have no valid claim to exclusive fishing rights.

In addition, the file includes correspondence on the following: an expedition to the Iranian side of the Gulf by a Danish citizen named Dr Harald Blegvad, Director of the Danish Biological Station, who has been engaged by the Iranian Government to investigate the waters of the Gulf, with particular reference to fishing; the potential impact that deep-sea operations might have on fishing in shallow pearl beds.

Correspondents include the following: the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Kuwait; the British Minister, Tehran; the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. ; the Foreign Office; the Admiralty; the Ruler of Kuwait, Shaikh Ahmad al-Jabir as Sabah [Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ]; the Director of the British Museum (Natural History), Clive Forster-Cooper; Dr Cyril Crossland, zoologist at the University of Copenhagen's Zoological Museum.

Extent and format
1 file (85 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 87; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-86; these numbers are written in pencil, and are not circled. A previous foliation sequence between ff 4-85, which is written in pencil and not circled, has been crossed out.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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'File 3/6 Iranian Fisheries.' [‎81r] (161/174), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/5/176, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100030279279.0x0000a2> [accessed 7 June 2024]

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