Our Commitment

We are industry leaders and pioneers. It’s our mission to bring geoduck to new markets, and to maintain a sustainable geoduck resource for future generations.

Sustainability

Geoduck clams are a long-lived species that require careful management. Under the leadership of the UHA, our members help define management measures. We continuously monitor the resource by conducting research studies and developing new practices to ensure sustainability.

Today, the Canadian geoduck fishery is deemed a sustainable fishery by many of the world’s leading environmental groups and programs that certify and rate seafood sustainability. In fact, the Canadian geoduck fishery is publicly recognized and honored as protecting the ecosystem while contributing to the vitality of many communities.

Watch ‘Sustainable Management of the Canadian Geoduck’

Managing the resource

The UHA has been co-managing the geoduck resource with the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) since 1989.

Science & Research

UHA members develop an annual science work plan each year then fund and work with independent biologists, First Nations and UHA members to complete extensive research to ensure a safe and sustainable fishery. Government agencies need the cooperation of industry in order to collect the data necessary to manage the geoduck fishery.

Aquaculture

The UHA helped pioneer subtidal geoduck culture methods, influence sustainable regulations, and refine technology in BC. In the mid-1990s the UHA started culturing geoducks by enhancing wild geoduck beds and planted over seven million geoducks by 2015. Since 2015, the UHA shifted from enhancement to farming and continues to culture geoduck on seabeds leased from the government.

A sustainable food source

Ocean Wise has certified Canadian geoduck as sustainable because the resource population is abundant, there is little to no by-catch, and it is effectively managed.