In 1991, the development of hatchery and grow-out methods from brood stock were initiated. Research into the viability of farming geoducks began in the 1970s. Wild geoducks had been harvested in Puget Sound, Washington by residents and visitors for hundreds of years, but it was not until 1970 that the Washington Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) auctioned off the first right to commercially harvest wild geoducks. 2 Geoduck species and their distribution.Geoduck meat is a prized delicacy in Asian cuisine the majority of exports are sent to China ( Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beijing, are the main Chinese markets), Hong Kong and Japan. Most geoducks are harvested from the wild, but because of state government-instituted limits on the amount that can be harvested, the need to grow geoducks in farms to meet an increasing demand has led to the growth of the geoduck aquaculture industry, particularly in Puget Sound, Washington. They are native to the Pacific region and are found from Baja California, through the Pacific Northwest and Southern Alaska. Juvenile geoducks are planted or seeded on the ocean floor or substrate within the soft intertidal and subtidal zones, then harvested five to seven years later when they have reached marketable size (about 1 kg or 2.2 lbs). The geoduck is a large edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk, that is native to the Pacific Northwest. Geoduck aquaculture or geoduck farming is the practice of cultivating geoducks (specifically the Pacific geoduck, Panopea generosa) for human consumption.
Geoducks on display as seafood in a Chinese restaurant in Hong Kong