Tag Archives: geoduck
‘In shock’: Coronavirus sidelines Southeast Alaska dive fishermen
The coronavirus that emerged in late 2019 has infected more than 60,000 people, mostly in China. Though there haven’t been any confirmed cases in Alaska yet, some Alaskans, namely geoduck clam fishermen are feeling ripple effects from the epidemic.,, Though geoducks are native to the Western Hemisphere, Doherty said 95 percent of the catch gets sent across the Pacific. >click to read< 08:24
Growers say DFO dragging its feet on approving cultivation of giant clams in B.C.
In recent years, the demand for the giant clam – especially in China – has sent prices soaring. Geoduck (pronounced gooeyduck) has a landed value of about $10 to $11 per pound in North America and can sell for $30 per pound in China. Geoduck has become so valuable, in fact, that illegal poaching is now raising concerns about the geoduck population in Washington state. B.C. has a wild geoduck industry that is already worth about $47 million a year in sales – more valuable than oyster and clam farming ($33 million). But it is exclusive to divers who hold licences for harvesting the giant clam in the wild. Read the rest here 16:08
Harvesting geoduck is lucrative, but it’s also brutally hard work
Time is money in all types of commercial fishing, but that’s particularly true in the geoduck fishery. One reason is the huge market demand in China for the big bivalves. The other is how the Tulalip Tribes manage their divers, restricting harvest to just a few hours at a time as part of a strategy to keep the fishery sustainable. Last season, 90 percent of wild geoducks harvested in Washington were sent to Asia in what amounted to a $74 million export industry for the state. With prices hinging on the clams’ health, packagers race to SeaTac with their freshly caught product. Read the rest here 08:00
China lifts geoduck ban, to Peninsula suppliers’ relief
China has lifted a five-month ban on live shellfish from U.S. West Coast waters, a move greeted with relief by North Olympic Peninsula producers. The Chinese government announced the ban’s end in a letter Friday, officials said. China imposed the ban in December on the import of clams, oysters, mussels and scallops harvested from Washington, Oregon, Alaska and . Read more here 10:33
Geoduck fishery dispute prompts First Nation blockade threat
A Vancouver Island First Nation is threatening to blockade a large section of the Strait of Georgia because of a major dispute with Fisheries and Oceans over the lucrative geoduck harvest. Read more here 03:07
The Great China Geoduck Ban Mystery
China’s ban on the importation of bivalves originating from the US West Coast could not have come at a worse time for the commercial producers and harvesters of oysters, clams and geoducks – especially geoducks. Read more@fishermensnews 16:37
Begich Urges China to Renew it Imports of Alaska Shellfish – Tells Ambassador that Alaska Maintains Highest Safety Standards
U.S. Senator Mark Begich is going to bat for Alaska’s lucrative shellfish industry by asking a top Chinese official to intervene in the face of apparently flawed Chinese testing of the product. In a letter today to Chinese Ambassador to the United States Tiankai Cui, Begich asked for help lifting China’s recent ban on geoduck clams, a prized Chinese delicacy that flourishes in the waters of Southeast Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. [email protected] 21:36
