 After the 2 – 3 years they are harvested from the tanks the meat is shucked, and the pearl is then removed.The quality and size of the pearl changes depending on the size of the pāua, the pearls tend to be smaller when [hatchery] reared pāua are used, which is why pāua from the wild are preferred.High stress levels within the farm can prevent the pāua from coating the insert to produce the pearl.