Species: Panopea generosa

Pacific Geoduck

    Science Review:

    Articles:

    A history of Puget Sound's 'boss clam'

    The geoduck has earned an honored place as Puget Sound's largest and most distinctive native clam, but how much do we really know about it? Often seen as a culinary curiosity, the geoduck has only been commercially harvested on a large scale since the 1970s, and the clam's current popularity is based mostly on demand from Asian markets. Nevertheless, this deep-burrowing mollusk has always been a signature part of the Salish Sea ecosystem. 

    A geoduck farm near Totten Inlet between Shelton and Olympia. Photo: KBCS (CC BY 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/8gHRA8
    Report: Evaluating the effects of bivalve filter feeding on nutrient dynamics in Puget Sound

    A January 2014 USGS report discusses approaches for measuring the effect of bivalves on nutrient availability in different regions of Puget Sound.

    Oyster shell cultch containing seed oysters is washed onto a public beach. Image courtesy of WDFW.
    Effects of geoduck aquaculture on the environment—a synthesis of current knowledge

    A November 2013 literature review by Washingtom Sea Grant synthesizes the state of the science of geoduck clams and the potential environmental impacts of geoduck aquaculture in the Puget Sound region.

    Geoduck (Panopea generosa). Image courtesy Washington Sea Grant.
    Native shellfish in nearshore ecosystems of Puget Sound

    This is the executive summary from a technical report produced for the Puget Sound Nearshore Partnership on Valued Ecosystem Components (VEC). The entire document is included as a PDF with this summary.

    Olympia oysters in Washington. Photo courtesy of NOAA.
    Bivalves in Puget Sound

    Many types of bivalves, both native and non-native, flourish in Puget Sound. These species are a crucial part of the Puget Sound ecosystem and are also important for commercial fisheries.

    Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas). Photo by Don Rothaus, courtesy of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
    Kingdom
    Animalia
    Phylum
    Mollusca
    Class

    Bivalvia

    Order

    Myoida

    Family

    Hiatellidae

    Genus

    Panopea

    Classification
    Informal Taxonomy
    Animals, Invertebrates - Mollusks - Other Mollusks
    Formal Taxonomy
    Animalia - Mollusca - Bivalvia - Myoida - Hiatellidae - Panopea
    NatureServe Global Status Rank
    G5
    Global Status Last Reviewed
    2005-03-21
    Global Status Last Changed
    2005-03-21
    Conservation Status Map
    <img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?US.WA=SNR" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
    ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.768929