What is this bizarre-looking animal? Meet geoduck (pronounced gooey-duck), a phallic-shaped briny clam that is one of the most sought-after seafood by the Chinese. Geoducks have been enjoyed for decades as a culinary luxury in high-end Asian restaurants. They are large mollusks that are prized for their fresh tastes of the ocean. Their meats are either consumed raw or cooked, depending on the country’s cuisines. For example, in sushi restaurants, geoduck may appear as “mirugai”, “giant clam” or “long-necked clam” as a sashimi raw plate. In China, geoduck is a centrepiece in traditional and communal hot pot dishes. A single, live, top-grade geoduck can be sold for $100-$150USD/lb, making them more costly than Boston Lobsters.
The global geoduck industry is primarily driven by high demands in the Asian markets, particularly China (95%), Hong Kong and Japan. Most geoducks are wild-harvested, from seabed along the pacific Northwest Coast of North America (Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska). There is also a growing geoduck aquaculture industry especially in Washington State, contributing to the global supply.
In Canada alone, the geoduck industry is a whopping $55m per annum industry. However, the commercial harvesting of geoduck was non-existent before the 1970s when a substantial geoduck population was discovered along those seabeds. After which, the industry grew rapidly. Today, about 90% of the geoducks sold are wild and 10% are cultured.
At first glance, geoducks might make you do a double take. With its long siphon sticking out of a large shell, the geoduck is one of the ocean’s most unusual-looking creatures. But don’t let its looks fool you — this giant clam is a delicacy in many parts of the world, prized for its sweet, clean taste and crunchy texture.
Challenges in the industry
1. It is extremely labour-intensive to harvest geoducks
While it was in abundance in the 1970s, wild geoducks are harder to find these days. Trained divers have to go deep underwater to search the seabed for buried geoducks beneath the surface. Since geoducks can only be harvested by hand, skilled divers are the backbone of the industry. The job of underwater harvesters is often laced with risks as these geoducks are invisible and require some time to unravel them. With each dive being several hours long, divers are also at a fatal risk of decompression sickness from the nature of work. Due to the highly intensive work and the risky nature, a lot of costs are involved in the harvesting of this prized delicacy.
2. Geoducks are rare
Only available in the west cost of North America, geoducks are extremely rare. Unlike in the 1970s, the population of geoducks have dwindled dramatically due to the long-life cycle of the geoducks and overharvesting. Nowadays, geoducks are hard to come by, without intensive search by hand along the seabed.
3. Long life cycle
Long life cycle of geoducks means that it takes a much longer time to replenish them in the ocean, making them rare and expensive. Apart from wild geoducks, for the farmed equivalents, they take about 5-7 years to grow to a commercial size of 1.5 pounds. This long period of care and the large infrastructure needed also contribute to the high costs of geoducks.
Differences in taste
In terms of taste, wild geoducks have a richer and brinier taste with a more robust taste of ocean. They are firmer, crunchier, hence giving a satisfying bite for those who love bold seafood. Farmed geoducks are less intense in their flavours. With milder, sweeter taste, some chefs prefer them over wild geoducks for their clean taste, making them ideal for delicate preparations like sashimi or steamed dishes.
Current market sentiments
At the start, geoducks were extremely popular with the Japanese. That have shifted over the years as China gained wealth over the years and have developed an expensive taste for quality food. Whether it is wild or farmed, geoducks have become a common centrepiece in Chinese banquets at luxurious dining spots.
In recent years, we witnessed China’s economic slowdown, reducing the demand of such delicacies. On top of that, global warming, overharvesting, and overall pollution have made the geoduck trade much trickier than before. In 2013-14, China had banned shellfish like geoducks due to the unsafe levels of arsenic and toxins. The geoduck industry has responded with more stringent measure to monitor the changing ocean conditions responding to environmental issues. These issues are on-going, and both the industry and authorities are taking active safety protocols to keep the industry alive.
Whether geoducks will still be in high demands in future, it all depends on the overall global economics (e.g. tariffs) and how well the industry is able to maintain the supply standard (e.g. ocean control). But with geoduck’s luxurious status in the culinary scenes, they are likely going to stay on the menus for the long-haul.
Who are we?
At iFish, we’re here to help you make the most of this seafood treasure. If you are looking for geoducks or other premium seafood, we are happy to assist you. We have a dedicated team in sourcing and quality control, to ensure the best and safest seafood arrive at your doorsteps. Contact us for a quick chat today.
https://www.businessinsider.com/why-geoducks-are-so-expensive-2025-2
