| 1868 |
Pearl shell first collected. (Warrior is pearl shell beds) |
| 1871 |
First underwater breathing apparatus introduced. (common by 1877). |
| 1876 |
Recruitment of Japanese divers commenced. Within 15 years they dominated the work force in the roles of divers and dive tenders. |
| 1877 |
Thursday Island acted as a port for the industry. The industry had grown to 16 firms and 109
vessels (63 with diving apparatus). |
| 1881 |
Old grounds discovered. |
| 1883 |
Serious depletion of pearl grounds reported. |
| 1885 |
Catch rates fell rapidly and major fleets sailed to Western Australia. |
| 1888-89 |
Fleets returned from WA. Floating stations (mother schooners 50-60ft>100 tonnes) introduced and fishing effort increased significantly. |
| 1891 |
QLD Fisheries Commissioner William Saville Kent (a British marine biologist), arrived and put
size limits on shell catch (6 inches/152mm). He actually bred shell and grew spherical pearls. Darnley deeps grounds were closed. |
| 1896 |
Saranealis family began trading as Pearl merchants and manufacturing jewellers on current site. |
| 1899 |
CYCLONE MAHINA: over 300 crew drowned and 54 luggers and 3 schooners lost at Cape Melville. |
| 1893-00 |
Annual MOP catch rates fell from 5.75 to 3.1 tons. |
| 1897 |
Minimum legal size reduced to 5 inches/127mm. |
| 1902 |
The prosperity of Thursday Island and its existence as an outport is dependent entirely on the
pearl shell fishery. |
| 1912-13 |
Mother of Pearl shell rose to 200 pounds per ton. |
| 1916 |
WW1 caused the entire Qld fleet to be tied up. |
| 1919-29 |
MOP production increased until the market was saturated by 1929. |
| 1929-32 |
The great depression caused the pearling industry to collapse. |
| 1932-39 |
Resurgence of the fishery. |
| 1940's |
Motorization of the fleet |
| 1941-45 |
WW11 halted fishing. During the war the original Saranealis store was burned to the ground with the Metropole Hotel. |
| 1946 |
Saranealis family rebuilt the current store on original property. |
| 1957 |
Packe Island Pearl culture farm started. |
| 2001 |
Saranealis House opens again as the only specialist pearl sales outlet in the far north. |
| 2005 |
Saranealis House expands operations to supplying southern Jewellers as well as local retail. |
