Mother-of-pearl exports for Papua New Guinea from 1888 to 2019

Historical data on marine resources and their fisheries provide context for present observations and can contribute to marine policy and management. However, the challenges of accessing and analysing historical data have prevented their application in agencies concerned with managing fisheries in the Pacific region. Export-driven mother-of-pearl (MoP) fisheries, which target pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima, P. margaritifera, and P. imbricata), greensnail (Turbo marmoratus), and trochus (Rochia nilotica) for their nacreous shell, have made and continue to make in many areas of the Pacific region important contributions to coastal livelihoods. To support the use of historical data to existing information of consequence to national and regional marine policy and management,we present a quantitative, standardised, and quality-validated dataset covering over 130 years (1888-2019) of MoP exports from Papua New Guinea (PNG).