Description: The geoduck is the largest burrowing clam in the world that is also called the elephant trunk clam in Chinese. As a member of the class of mollusks called bivalve, a geoduck has a large meaty siphon or neck extending from its large oval shaped shell. In British Columbia its shell can grow to an average of 195 mm (7 inches) and weigh an average of 1 kg (2.2 lbs). The siphon of the geoduck has a sweet, fresh sea flavour and crunchy texture.



Product Forms: Geoducks are most popular live, but the siphon meat is also available chilled or flash-frozen and then vacuum-packed. Dried body meat is available occasionally.



Availability: The geoduck fishery is conducted throughout the year and accordingly all product forms are available throughout the year.



Buying Tips: When buying live geoducks, look for ones that have fresh, plump and firm looking siphons. Although light beige-coloured siphons are preferred by many customers, the taste and texture of the meat inside is the same regardless of the exterior siphon colour.



Storing Tips: Live geoducks that are wrapped in a damp cloth will keep in the coldest part of a refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. If the geoduck will be used on the same day that it is obtained, remove the body and siphon from the shell and discard the dark, egg-sized oval stomach.



Preparation/Usage: To prepare, first remove the body and siphon from the shell and discard the stomach by inserting a small knife in between the shell and the body of the geoduck around the base of the siphon and cutting along the edge of the shell to separate the shell from the body. Once the stomach is trimmed off and discarded, the siphon and crescent-shaped strip of body meat will remain. Then, to remove the tough skin covering the siphon and body meat, place the clam under hot running water until the skin begins to bubble and loosen. When ready, you should be able to peel off the skin easily to expose the edible creamy-smooth flesh underneath. To further prepare for use, cut the siphon off from the body meat and split it lengthwise in half across the two apertures showing the thicker end. Cut each piece of the siphon into paper thin slices on a sharp bias or as desired. After trimming off the spongy parts from the body meat, this part can either be sliced and served, or cut up and used as an ingredient in, for example, a chowder. The geoduck’s sweet flavour and crunchy texture reveal themselves best when eaten either raw (in sushi or sashimi) or when very quickly cooked (in a stir fry or hot pot). Geoduck toughens very quickly when cooked so a quick plunge into boiling water or sauce is all that is needed for best results. Dried body meat is sometimes used in the preparation of Chinese soup tonics.



Area of Origin and Range of Availability: Geoducks (Panopea abrupta) are only found in commercial volumes along the Pacific coast from Washington state, all through British Columbia, and as far as south east Alaska from the intertidal zone to depths of 100 metres (328 feet). Similar, but smaller, species of panopea exist in Japan, New Zealand and Argentina.



Harvest Volume: After peaking in 1987, geoduck landings for the last 5 years have remained stable at about 2,000 tonnes per year.





Harvest Method: Geoducks are individually harvested one at a time by divers using a directed water jet called a “stinger” which loosens the substrate around the clams and allows them to be lifted out of the sand. Geoduck stocks are managed based on a conservative target exploitation rate of 1% annually.



Processing Method: Immediately after harvest and until delivery to a federally registered shellfish establishment, all commercial geoducks are packed in “cages” with a maximum weight (while empty) of 2.3 kg (5 lbs) per cage. They are then transferred by water and land to registered buyers in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia where they are carefully packaged and shipped live to markets where they are placed in holding tanks for viewing and sale. Contrary to common belief, geoducks are not held in water during transport. If kept cool and moist, they can survive for days out of water.



Markets: The majority of geoducks are exported to Hong Kong and China while a small amount is exported to the United Stated or sold in British Columbia.



Sustainability: A number of measures have been implemented to sustain the geoduck fishery including: licence limitation; individual vessel quotas; a three-year rotational fishery in which only parts of the coast are fished in any one year but at three times the annual rate; industry funded monitoring program including port validation of all landings, ongrounds observer coverage, market sample and biological sample collection and processing, and survey data collection; a conservative quota system allowing a total allowable catch of 1% of the estimated biomass; protected areas, and; low impact and limited bicatch harvest methods.



Historical and Anecdotal Information: The name geoduck comes from the Nisqually Indian “gwe-duk” meaning

“dig-deep”. Commercially harvested in British Columbia since 1976, the geoduck fishery now ranks first in landed value among the invertebrate fisheries in British Columbia. This species is also one of the longest living animals in the world as it can live more than 100 years. The age of a geoduck is determined by the number of rings on its shell. From 1993 to 2000, Underwater Harvesters Association researchers collected 12,800 geoducks along the British Columbian coast. This research uncovered the oldest geoduck aged to date in the world – a 168 year old geoduck from Tasu Sound on the Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia.



NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION Per 3.5 oz/100 grams of raw edible portion Calories 85 Total fat 2.0 g Protein 15.5 g Cholesterol 0.0 mg Source: Sidwell, Virginia D., Chemical and Nutritional Composition of Finfishes, Whales, Crustaceans, Mollusks, and their Products; NOAA Technical Memorandum, 1981. For Additional Information And A List Of Current Product Suppliers, Contact: Underwater Harvesters Association Phone: 604.734.5929 Fax: 604.734.5919 email: info@geoduck.org website: www.geoduck.org