|
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
PO Box 39005,
3695 West 10th Avenue,
Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada V6R 4P1
Phone: 604.734.5929
Fax: 604.734.5919
email: info@geoduck.org
website: www.geoduck.org |
|
