ɐn ˈɪŋɡlɪʃmən nˈeɪmd dʒˈɔːɹdʒ pˈɪɹsən ˈɑːpɚɹˌeɪɾᵻd ɐ pˈɜːlɪŋ stˈeɪʃən ˌɔn pˈoːɹuːmə ɪnðə wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti z ænd ɐ sˈɛmaɪpˈɜːmənənt flˈoʊɾɪŋ bˈɛtʃdəmˈɜː stˈeɪʃən wʌz ɪstˈæblɪʃt nˌɪɹ ðɪ ˈaɪlənd ɚɹˈaʊnd wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti tˈuː.
An Englishman named George Pearson operated a pearling station on Poruma in the 1870s and a semi-permanent floating beche-de-mer station was established near the island around 1872.