Geoduck Clam

At a glance

Geoduck Clam (Panopea generosa) is a bivalve mollusk regulated in 4 of 66 jurisdictions tracked by CatchRules across the U.S. and Canada.

The strictest bag limit is 3 (British Columbia); the most generous is 6 (Alaska).

Confirmed by 280 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with Washington, California, and British Columbia the top jurisdictions by observation count.

Notable details

• Geoducks can live over 150 years, making them among the longest-lived animals on Earth.
• Their siphon can extend over 3 feet out of the shell.
• Shells typically measure 6 to 9 inches long, but the soft body extends much farther.
• Despite their size, geoducks burrow 2 to 3 feet deep into sandy or muddy substrate.
• Geoducks are among the priciest commercial shellfish in North America, largely exported to Asian markets.

Where Geoduck Clam are seen

• Washington154 iNat obs
• California56 iNat obs
• British Columbia55 iNat obs
• Alaska10 iNat obs
• Oregon5 iNat obs

Jurisdictions with rules for Geoduck Clam

• AlaskaUnited States · official source
• British ColumbiaCanada · official source
• WashingtonUnited States · official source

Background

The Pacific geoduck (“gooey-duck”; /ˈɡuːiˌdʌk/; Panopea generosa) is a species of very large, edible saltwater clam in the family Hiatellidae. The common name is derived from a Lushootseed (Nisqually) word gʷídəq.

Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Geoduck Clam article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.

Other clams/oysters/mussels on CatchRules

• Asian ClamCorbicula fluminea
• California MusselMytilus californianus
• Eastern OysterCrassostrea virginica
• Blue MusselMytilus edulis