NOAA’s Tide to Table series profiles members of the aquaculture community, who provide valuable jobs and increase access to fresh, sustainably sourced American seafood.
Salish Seafoods is a tribally owned company that sells wild salmon and farms clams, oysters, and geoducks. Many people don't know what a geoduck is, let alone how to pronounce it (“gooey-duck”). But growing this large clam provides economic, cultural, and environmental benefits to Puget Sound.
Geoducks are large filter-feeding clams native to Washington. They have a relatively small shell compared to their long neck. This neck, also known as a siphon, can be 3 feet long when extended. Geoducks are efficient filter feeders, drawing in water through their siphon like a straw and then releasing filtered water. By filtering out excess algae, they make the water cleaner and clearer, allowing more light to reach aquatic vegetation.
Farming these large, long-lived clams is no small matter. So let’s take a walk in the muckboots of Rod Schuffenhauer, Salish Seafoods operations manager, to learn about growing this unique Pacific Northwest clam.
Growing Up on the Tides
Aquaculture is a consistent thread in the fabric of Rod’s life. His father was a leader in the Pacific Northwest clam industry and Rod was one of the many high school students who worked in the family business. “I grew up on the tides from when I was able to walk,” he says. “Through school, that was my job and I always had money in my pocket.”
As the operations manager at Salish Seafoods, he oversees the farming and selling of geoducks and other seafood products. After a career in the industry, he admits it’s tough work. But he appreciates the variety in his job, the people he works alongside, and the wildlife he sees on the water. “When you work in an industry like this, it becomes part of your life.”
Salish Seafoods started growing geoducks in 2013, but geoducks have been an important food source to Coast Salish peoples for millennia. Growing them today connects Salish Seafoods to the cultural heritage of the Squaxin Island Tribe.
Prioritizing Stewardship and Community
Founded in 1970, Salish Seafoods is a tribally owned business that grows shellfish on Squaxin Island, an uninhabited island in the Puget Sound. The surrounding pristine, nutrient-rich waters are ideal habitat for native shellfish to thrive.
The Squaxin Island Tribe, known as the People of the Water, has stewarded these tidelands for thousands of years. Salish Seafoods continues this tradition of deep respect and sustainability. They reuse their aquaculture gear, regularly participate in local beach clean ups, and foster a responsible work environment.
Along with caring for the land and waters, caring for others is deeply engrained in the culture of the Squaxin Island Tribe. “The community supports each other and the tribe wants to make sure everybody is cared for,” explains Rod, which is why Salish Seafoods has the mission of supporting tribal fishermen. In addition to aquaculture, the company buys shellfish and finfish directly from Tribal members, ensuring they are paid fair industry rates. In 2024, Salish Seafoods bought 900,000 pounds of product from tribal fishermen, directing about $2 million into the community.
When COVID-19 devastated the seafood market and Salish Seafoods had an abundance of inventory, Rod first thought of his community. He and his team boxed up the surplus and gave 25 pounds of shellfish to every household on the reservation. Continuing the Squaxin Island Tribe’s long history of stewardship and community is evidence of the love and care Salish Seafoods puts into their products.
Farming Geoduck from Tide to Table
Growing geoduck is labor-intensive and governed by the tides. All of the work at Salish Seafoods, from seeding to harvesting, is done by hand. Rod and his team purchase and place small geoduck seed into a 6-inch wide PVC tube on the island’s open sandy beaches.
A netting covers the top of the tube to protect the baby geoducks from predators until they are large enough to burrow deep into the sand. The protective tubes are removed when the geoduck has buried about 10 inches into the substrate, where the geoduck then grow to a harvest size of about 2 pounds over the next 5 years.
While Salish Seafoods’ clams and oysters are readily available for purchase by the public, geoducks are currently only available to wholesale buyers. Rod enjoys geoduck prepared in a variety of ways, including fried, chowders, and ceviche. “The only comparison I have of the geoduck is that it’s very similar to a razor clam. The neck is tougher and chewier, but the body is so tender. The sweetness that comes out of it is just indescribable.”
Fun Fact
Geoducks are some of the oldest shellfish on the market—the oldest recorded geoduck was 168 years old!
Recipe
Geoduck Chowder
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced yellow onion
½ cup diced green bell pepper
2 cups ground geoduck meat (mantle and neck)
6 cups cubed Yukon gold potatoes
3–4 cups of water
1 cup diced carrot
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh basil
1 quart half & half
1 package, or 2 oz, instant potatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish
Sliced green onion
Chiffonade fresh basil
In a stock pot over medium-high heat, add butter and garlic and sauté. Add the celery, green pepper, and onion, and cook until the onion is translucent. Add the geoduck and potatoes and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes. Add salt, basil, and carrots. Increase the temperature to high and add 3 to 4 cups of water and bring the contents to a boil until the potatoes are tender.
Reduce heat to medium and add the half & half. Thicken with instant dry mashed potatoes to achieve the desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with green onion and basil for each bowl. Enjoy!
Recipe credit to Teri King and Rod Schuffenhauer
