'Precious' boys are saved

The geoduck, still called the "precious boy" or the American elephant tribe, has escaped "genocide", after local legislators expanded their habitat.

The name geoduck comes from the North American Indian language pronounced gweduc , which means digging deep, can be understood as deep exploitation.

Mussels have strange shapes

This is a large saltwater mussel that lives only on the Pacific coast of Canada, the US and Southeastern Alaska.

Geoduck is also called "precious" boy or elephant cock.

This species has a shell that is only about 15 to 20 cm long but can be larger than a meter when reaching out. Weighing more than 1 kg on average, the geoduck is one of the toughest living creatures in the animal world, with an average life of 146 years, sometimes even up to 160 years. Like how to calculate tree life with tree rings, the life of a geoduck can be calculated by the number of cycles around its trunk.

Be saved for bringing super profits

According to a bill signed in 1895, crustacean farming and capture in waters affected by nearly 47,000 acres of tide in Mason County, Michigan State, is prohibited to serve operations. Industrial production. Therefore, the area for cultivating shrimps and crabs . and even geoduck is limited and makes them vulnerable to disappear from the sea.

Geoduck became one of the symbols of local residents.

However, in the early 1970s, the Michigan State Department of Natural Resources struggled to demand the sea to feed geoduck in a plan to build 2.6 million acres of marine areas for research, conservation and farming. aquaculture. Because this is a species that brings great economic benefits.

Brett Bishop, a local fisherman, said he invested $ 7 million in geoduck. This level of investment is ineffective compared to the profit earned by fishermen. According to Michigan state statistics, each year, the local catch about 3 million tons of geoduck and earn a huge profit: 73.5 million USD.

Geoduck used to hide under the sea sand at a depth of about a meter, people were very laborious to get under it. This is the origin of the name of this species.

The culinary world began to explore geoduck since 1970, like fish and bear bile, geoduck contains 16 amino-acids, which are highly valued by special nutritional properties and are considered a food type ' a healthy person, two people happy '.

Geoduck is a very popular dish in China.

Although it is mostly caught in the Pacific Northwest, geoduck is a large consuming place in East Asia. China is the leading country consuming this seafood. At the Hong Kong market, the price of each mature geoduck is about 60 USD.

The price for a whole meal of geoduck can be up to 200-300 USD.

Many people explain the popularity of this area with geoduck due to the "eat anything" mentality. Geoduck is made into many delicacies that can be served with vinegar-made wine, or made into a Japanese-style sushi or sashimi.

Here are some pictures of this unique animal:

Geoduck has a very impressive shape.

The cock of an adult geoduck can be several meters long.

Geoduck eggs hatch on a tree trunk, a geoduck can produce 5 billion eggs in life.