Geoduck clam fishery to reopen as Chinese demand rebounds

Geoducks are the largest burrowing clam in the world and can also live more than 100 years. (Photo courtesy USDA)
Geoducks are the largest burrowing clam in the world and can also live more than 100 years. Alaska’s geoduck fishery is reopening in April 2020. The fishery was closed for months after demand from China fell during that country’s coronavirus outbreak. (Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Agriculture)

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced Tuesday that the geoduck fishery would resume now that Asian demand is returning.

“Some of the markets over in China are starting to reopen, and of course China is our final market for geoducks that are harvested here in Southeast,” said Phil Doherty, co-executive director of the Southeast Alaska Dive Fisheries Association.

Geoduck fishermen were among the first Alaskans to feel the effects of the coronavirus. That’s because market demand in China fell off a cliff as authorities ordered lockdowns.

A coalition of commercial fishermen recommended closing the fishery in late January. It’s remained closed ever since.

But as demand rebounds, Doherty says divers are ready to test the market.

“It’s not as big of a market as it was before [COVID-19] hit us all, so we’ll see. We are not anticipating very good prices, maybe somewhere between $3 and $4 a pound, which is not really the best prices we’ve ever seen,” he said.

Normal prices for geoduck fishermen usually range between $5 and $10 a pound.

“But the divers felt we needed to at least give it a chance with a small harvest,” Doherty said.

He says that while Chinese demand is recovering, the coronavirus is now complicating matters on this side of the Pacific. Flight cutbacks in response to a pandemic-fueled drop in demand mean shipping could take an extra day or two.

And Doherty says that could mean lower prices for fishermen.

“Since the geoducks are sold as a live animal in the restaurants and in the markets, any delay in getting them to market, you have a little bit more mortality within the geoducks themselves,” he said, “and the more mortality you have, the less you get paid.”

Doherty says he’ll be watching prices as the fishery reopens. Fishermen will first get to work in Nakat Inlet, about 40 miles south of Ketchikan. The state has set a harvest limit of 800 pounds of geoducks per permit holder.

KRBD - Ketchikan

KRBD is our partner station in Ketchikan. KTOO collaborates with partners across the state to cover important news and to share stories with our audiences.

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