'Extracts from Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia by J G Lorimer CIE, Indian Civil Service' [‎59v] (123/180)

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May and continues for 130 days, that is until about the middle of September; the
beginning of this season is known as the Rakbah, and the end as the Quffal or
" Closing." The times of beginning and ending of the Ghaus-al-Kabir are not
exactly fixed, and they are liable to be affected by the month of Ramadhan, when
it falls in the hot weather, as diving is prohibited during the fast. In 1906 the
Ghaus-al-Kabir of the Bahrain fleet lasted from the 16th of May to the
18th of September, with an interval of 5 days which began on the 22nd of August.
The second season is now the Raddah or " Return," which commences a few
days after the conclusion of the Ghaus-al-Kabir and is of about 3 weeks' duration.
In 1906 the Raddah of the Bahrain fleet began on the 20th of September and ended
on the 14th of October; and in that year the Bahrain and Kuwait fleets closed the
season about the same time,—later than the Qatar fleet, but earlier than that of
Trucial 'Oman, which had delayed in putting to sea at the beginning of the season.
Besides the seasons of pearling at sea, there is also a winter season for shore
operations known as the Mujannah. In the Mujannah the fishery is conducted
chiefly by wading in the shallows along the coast when the tide is out, and those
who take part in it ordinarily return to their homes at night. The pearls obtained in
the Mujannah are ordinarily small and discoloured; nevertheless the magnificent
specimen which gave rise to a dispute mentioned further on in the political history
of the pearl fisheries was found by a wader of Kumzar.
It may be noted here that a number of Kuwait, Bahrain and Trucial 'Oman
pearlers now visit the Ceylon banks in winter, instead of devoting themselves to
ordinary deep-sea fishing at home, as was formerly the rule; the Government
records do not show this practice to have prevailed earlier than 1889. Large boats
in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. belonging to enterprising owners are sometimes sent away from
the home fisheries to those of Soqotrah and the Red Sea, where they remain
continuously for as much as two consecutive seasons, and return with Zanni and
Sadaifi shells as well as pearls. This seems to be an old custom, and the season
of 1885 is recorded as having been a successful one in the Red Sea; but, since the
Italian Government began to tax pearl boats fishing in Eritrean waters, the Red
Sea venture has become less popular than it formerly was.
Modus The pearl fishers, who till recently had neither charts nor compasses but are
operandi. now generally provided with the latter, are extremely expert in finding their way to
any bank they may desire to reach, and are generally able to make a direct voyage
thither; they are guided, not only by the sun and stars and by bearings from the
land when in sight, but also by the colour and depth of the sea and by the nature of
the bottom. Some Nakhudas select the banks which most generally yield a fair
return, and stay on them for the season; other commanders, of a more sanguine
or less methodical temparament, remain on the move and change the scene of their
operations every few days. In the choice of a bank the Nakhuda is limited by the
powers of his divers; 8 fathoms is an ordinary depth, and 12 is perhaps the greatest
at which work can be carried on without discomfort; boats with good divers,
however, will work on banks carrying 14 fathoms. There are men who can negotiate
16 fathoms of water, but the strain at this depth is too great to be endured long,
even by the strongest, and fatal accidents sometimes occur in working at such
a level.*
On the banks diving is carried on every day during fine weather; work begins
an hour after sunrise and ceases an hour before sunset. The interval between the
early morning prayer and the commencement of diving is spent by the crew in
opening the oysters collected on the previous day. This is done with crooked
knives called Mufallq (singular, Mufliqah) under the personal superintendence of
the Nakhuda, who takes charge of the pearls as they are extracted, and registers
their weights and descriptions at such intervals as he considers necessary. Of the
shells, only the best—that is to say some 3 or 4 per cent, of the whole—are kept, and
the remainder are returned to the sea along with the juvenile oysters,—the latter
unopened but unlikely, it is believed, to survive a separation of 16 hours on the
average from their native element. The process of opening the oysters is
unpleasant, owing to the smell and to the insects which it sometimes attracts.
The divers, before they commence operations for the day, are allowed a light
meal of half a pound of dates and a few cups of coffee each. Once they have
entered the water, work is continued without intermission until Dhuhr (in the
* In Ceylon waters 9 fathoms is the ordinary limit of the local diver. Individuals are found
who can manage from 11 to 15 fathoms; but they can only bring up what they happen to find near
near them, and in the case of 15 fathoms they come up exhausted (see Professor Herdman's Report).