Mark Millard grew
up a few blocks from the Point Whitney geoduck hatchery in Brinnon on Hood Canal.
Now, he works as a technician there handling and helping his hard-shelled friends
find homes in the Puget Sound. His review: "The siphon is a bit chewier
than the breast, but both parts are tasty."
Dig
a duck a day
Outer Limits home
This impressive
shellfish leaves seafood lovers clamoring for more
Geoduck facts:
Scientific name:
Panopea abrupta.
Common name: Geoduck (pronounced gooey duck).
Also known as: King Clams, Gooeys, Giant Clams and Ducks.
What are they?
Geoducks are one of the largest burrowing clams in the world. Their contractile
siphons can stretch nearly four feet and are so large that they cannot be completely
withdrawn into the shell. They weigh about two pounds.
Oldest known geoduck?
147 years old, found in British Columbia. A geoduck's age is calculated like
trees, by counting its annual growth rings.
Geoducks become sexually
active at 6 years old and often don't quit until they are in their 100s.
Legally strange
It is illegal in Washington to possess a geoduck neck not attached to the rest
of the geoduck.
Where are they found?
From depths of 2 feet to more than 350 feet. Geoducks are most abundant in Puget
Sound and British Columbia, but they also can be dug in Alaska.
Cash clam
Each year, commercial fishermen harvest about 2 million pounds, or about $10
million worth, of geoducks from Puget Sound, says Hal Beattie, Brinnon's shellfish
hatchery manager. They are the state's most profitable shellfish. Department
of Natural Resources gets about $5 million of the money and splits it between
resource management and building new aquatic nature trails, boardwalks and docks
in the marine areas of Puget Sound.
To catch
Wait for a low tide in Hood Canal and watch for their necks or squirts in the
sand. Then start digging.
To eat
Soak in hot water. Peel the skin. Can be eaten raw or cooked. Often found in
sushi bars. Some popular methods of preparing include baking, poaching and chopping
up into chowder. Taste is sweet, compared most often to abalone.
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