Geoduck

Suquamish Seafoods builds new office, processing facility

The Suquamish Tribe has constructed a new seafood plant to increase the variety of products offered to consumers.

“With the new plant, we have the ability to deliver fresh clams, crab and salmon to our commercial customers,” said Suquamish Seafoods general manager Tony Forsman. “We also plan to develop our product lines further, making them available directly to the consumer.”

The new 16,000-square-foot building includes a flash freezer with a holding capacity up to 28,000 lbs. of Dungeness crab. (more…)

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Jamestown S’Klallam, WDFW partner on Strait Geoduck Study

Due to its popularity with harvesters and shellfish lovers, scientists are learning more about geoduck clams found in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

During the past two years, the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) have been collecting age and genetic data from these particular bivalves found in the Strait.

“Geoduck is currently managed as a single Puget Sound stock,” said Kelly Toy, Jamestown S’Klallam’s shellfish management biologist. “But there may be regional differences that exist between geoducks in the Strait and other regions within Puget Sound. Gathering age and genetic data specific to geoducks in the Strait will help us determine if there are regional differences and develop a model that would help improve the sustainability of the Strait’s geoduck resource.” (more…)

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China Epidemic Damaging Tribal Shellfish Exports

OLYMPIA (May 30, 2003) — Tribal shellfish harvesters across western Washington have been reporting drastic drops in orders due to the continuing Severe Acute Repertory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic in China. “Geoducks are eaten in restaurants in China, but now because of SARS, it seems like no one even wants to go out in public,” said Dave Winfrey, shellfish biologist with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians. Most of the geoducks harvested in Washington are eventually sold in overseas markets, such as China.

“We have geoduck fishermen going out for half days, filling 500 pound orders when they are used to filling orders four times that size,” said Winfrey. “The geoducks themselves are safe; there just isn”t a market right now. This is a huge blow not only the individual harvesters, but to their families and entire tribal communities.”

(more…)

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