![]() Growth-ring analysis of shells shows many individuals live for more than 100 years. Geoducks – called the “elephant trunk clam” by the Chinese – are among the longest-lived animals in the world. ![]() The UHA and Fan Seafoods have partnered in a number of scientific research projects related to geoduck culture. Geoducks take five to seven years (at least) to grow to marketable size, so experiments are being conducted on harvesting and marketing the farmed product raised by the UHA and Fan Seafoods. The geoduck seed produced by the hatcheries is used by lease holders for aquaculture, and by the Underwater Harvesters Association (UHA) for enhancing the wild stocks. Geoduck brood stock was first collected in 1993 and juvenile seed geoducks have been produced at several hatcheries in BC. For more information on annual fishing plans, please click here.Įnhancement and aquaculture efforts are also beginning to play a role in the British Columbia geoduck fishery. Rotational fisheries concentrate effort making it easier to monitor quotas and validate landings. The exceptions to rotational fisheries are in Areas 16 and 23 to 27 which are fished annually to increase flexibility in harvest management. Some of these sub-units are fished at three times the annual exploitation rate once every three years. Each of the three geographic regions of the coast (North Coast, West Coast of Vancouver Island and Inside Waters), is divided into three sub-units with roughly equal geoduck harvest areas. A three-year area rotational process is in effect in many areas of the coast. The fishery is managed by a combination of a total allowable catch (TAC), a catch verification program, and individual licence quotas (there are 55 licences and each licence-holder is a member of the Underwater Harvesters Association). Landings peaked in 1987 at 4239 tonnes but have declined to about 1559 tonnes per year as a result of management actions designed to promote resource conservation. ![]() Geoducks have been fished commercially in British Columbia since 1976. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Environment Canada, and the Underwater Harvesters Association together manage a monitoring program which ensures that geoducks harvested in Canadian waters are safe to eat. Once the bloom has passed, the clams will naturally purge themselves of the poison. Because they do not move, these bivalves cannot escape the plankton blooms which, while harmless to the clams, can be fatal to humans. Closures can also occur as a result of paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) or “red tide” contamination. The fishery is conducted throughout the year, but not every area is open every year. Commercial geoduck harvesters can tell where the clams are buried by their “shows” (the visible exposed tip of a siphon or dimple left in the sand from a retracted siphon), and divers are expert “show readers” whether by sight when the weather is good or by feel in zero visibility conditions. They are harvested individually by divers using a directed water jet called a “stinger” which loosens the substrate around the clams and allows them to be lifted out. Recruitment to the fishery begins at age four and by age 12, geoducks are fully vulnerable to harvest. By that time, it has grown so large that its shell cannot close around it. A geoduck grows rapidly for the first 10 to 15 years. Few predators can reach them once they are successful in achieving this depth. The clams begin to burrow into the substrate within 40 to 50 days of birth, and they can bury to a depth of 60 cm in two years. Geoduck clams are found throughout coastal British Columbia in each of the management areas from the intertidal zone to depths of at least 110 metres. Pronounced “gooey-duck”, the name comes from the Nisqually Indian “gwe-duk” meaning “dig-deep” If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. ![]()
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