The geoduck is an instantly recognizable mollusk with a neck that can stretch over a foot long and a large shell, and according to James Austin of the Underwater Harvesters Association, the market for the species is dominated by China.
Austin has been traveling to the China Seafood Expo for the last 24 years, and has witnessed first-hand as the market for the product has grown in the country. Once, he told SeafoodSource, the market was largely in Japan, “and it was all frozen.”
These days, that has changed dramatically.
“What started off as a frozen Japanese market is virtually all live market, mostly Chinese now,” he said.
The origin of the market, Austin said, stems from the large amount of Chinese residents who have taken up residence in Vancouver over the years. Those residents, who often still have family in China, grew to like the geoduck, but couldn’t get the same product when traveling back home.
“In the late 1980s, and early ‘90s, the Chinese were looking at these geoducks that were available in Vancouver and saying ‘why can’t we sell some of that,’” Austin said. At the same time, China was becoming more welcoming to outside business – which factored together with the new demand to create a large, roust market.
Now, Austin said, around 90 percent of overall annual production in British Columbia, Canada, is sold in China.
“This is our number one market,” he said.
Currently, Austin said, the Underwater Harvesters Association is sending roughly 20,000 pounds of geoduck to China every single day, with an annual harvest of about 3 million pounds.
Considering it is almost entirely a live market, that does come with its challenges. The product is largely only available in larger cities that have a direct airport link to Vancouver, as it is mainly shipped through air freight. Larger cities, like Shanghai and Beijing, are often also the largest market thanks to the established infrastructure.
“The ability for these airports to have the ability for a direct flight is a huge benefit,” Austin said.
The ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China, as well, has complicated things. Increased taxes on U.S. goods have caused them to shift prices, affecting the Canadian business with it.
Still, regardless of the challenges, Austin predicts that the market in China will remain the largest for years to come.
“Our limitations are the market itself, how much it can be consumed,” he said.
Photo courtesy of Chris Chase/SeafoodSource
