From cannery to culinary luxury: The evolution of the global geoduck market

The global geoduck market evolved substantially over the past four decades. This paper identifies the key transitional periods and discusses the catalysts that contributed to the evolution of the global geoduck market since its commercial inception during the 1970s. Specifically, this paper focuses on how the transition to rights-based fisheries management in Canada׳s wild geoduck fishery fostered changes in product form and ex-vessel prices that impacted the entire wild geoduck industry. This evolution in turn facilitated the emergence of intertidal and subtidal geoduck aquaculture, which led to further changes in the global geoduck industry including changes in: sources of supply, volume of production, trade patterns, primary markets, preference for product attributes, and fishery value. The global geoduck industry is still evolving, and this paper identifies and discusses the key drivers and constraints facing the market as it moves forward.