Geoduck

Elephant trunk clam ( Panopea abrupta )

The elephant trunk clam ( english elephant trunk clam; Panopea abrupta or Panope gene Pink) is a Salzwassermuschelart. Because of their size and shape it is also called " king clam " (English king clam ) or " penis clam ". In the United States it is known as Geoduck, spoken [ ɡu ː. Dʌk i ː ], a transcription variant of the Lushootseed word g ʷ ídəq ( dig deep).

Their habitat on the Pacific coast extends from the United States to Canada. It is with a length of up to a meter and a weight of 0.5 to 1.5 kg one of the largest mussel species in the world.

With an approximate life expectancy of 146 years, the oldest registered mussel was 160 years old, it is one of the longest-living organisms in the animal kingdom. According to scholars, this is due to their low energy consumption. In order to feed themselves, sucks an elephant trunk clam plankton through its long proboscis, filter out nutrients and excretes the rest through a separate hole in the trunk of. Adults Trunk mussels have very few natural predators, which further contributes to their longevity. In Alaska, these are predominantly sea otters, seals and sea stars.

Economic Importance

The world's first elephant trunk clam fishery was opened in 1970, but the demand for the shellfish that time was low. In the United States, the animals are sold today for about 65 U.S. dollars per kilogram and in China they are enjoying due to their unique taste and crispy skin very popular. There they a potency- enhancing effect is also rumored, among other things due to their penis -like shape.

The now high market value of this mussel in North America gave rise to an industry that converts around 80 million U.S. dollars annually. There she is bred among other special coastal farms in the U.S. state of Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia. Due to the increasing demand can be found in both the United States and in Canada more and more private farms.

Breeding farm of shellfish