What was the main economic factor that caused the sharp decline of Bahrain's traditional natural pearling industry in the early 1930s?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Japanese cultured pearls
- Step 1: Kokichi Mikimoto's development and commercial mass-production of artificial cultured pearls in Japan decimated global demand for natural pearls.
- Step 2: Combined with the 1929 Great Depression, prices collapsed, ending millennia of commercial pearl diving in the Gulf.
Answer
Japanese cultured pearls.
Why not the others: 'Exhaustion of oyster banks' is inaccurate as Bahrain's natural beds (Hayrat) remain abundant; 'British naval blockades' did not target pearling dhows; 'Global ban on natural pearls' never occurred.
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