Volunteers pass rocks along an assembly line to build a clam garden in Skagit Bay, Washington. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
Geoduck Harvest Areas Cleared For Certification to China
Cleared Harvest Areas for Certification to China
Sampling and Analysis Protocol of Geoduck Clams for Shipment to the People's Republic of China
The US will implement the following sampling and testing to confirm the designation of harvest locations.
Sample Collection Sites per Harvest Location
Composite samples of three geoducks will be obtained from three locations in each designated harvest location for a total of nine geoduck clams.
Collection sites within a harvest location will be determined based on relevant factors including, but not limited to, harvest activity and access to the site. Collection sites and samples will be identified by Global Positioning Satellite coordinates and depth.
Analyses
The US will analyze samples only for inorganic arsenic. Analysis will be conducted using the FDA-based for Specification and Measurement of Inorganic Arsenic in Shellfish Tissues by HPLC-ICP-DRC-MS. method.
Number of Geoducks per Collection Site
A sample will consist of 3 whole geoducks, including skin, gut ball, and meat. The 3 whole geoducks will be composited for testing.
Opening/Closing Criteria
If all three whole composite inorganic sample test results are below 0.5 ppm, the area will be cleared for export to China. A geoduck harvest area/tract will fail the arsenic test if one or more samples of the three composite samples collected from a specific harvest area/tract are >0.5 ppm for inorganic arsenic. If a geoduck harvest area fails the arsenic test criteria, another set of 3 composite clams from 3 sites within the harvest area may be submitted for testing. If the second test passes the opening criteria, the area will be cleared for export to China.
Maintenance Testing of Sites
Sites designated as acceptable for certification to China will be re-evaluated every year.
Washington State - Areas Cleared for Inorganic Arsenic Certification Certification to China
Updated 3.12.2024
Wild Geoduck
Growing Area |
Tract Name |
Tract # |
| Bainbridge South | Restoration Point | 07850 |
| Blake Island | Blake Island North | 08400 |
| Colvos Passage | Lisabeula | 09450 |
| Eld Inlet | Eld Inlet West Tract | 17200 |
| East Straits | Dungeness West Tract | 00320 |
| Foulweather East | Foulweather East Tract | 04950 |
| Fox Island | Fox Island Central Tract | 11250 |
| Fox Island | Fox Island North Tract | 11200 |
| Fox Island | Fox Island South Tract | 11260 |
| Georgia Straits South | Alden Bank Tract | 02800 |
| Harstine East | Dana Passage | 15960 |
| Harstine East | Dougall North | 15490 |
| Henderson Inlet | Henderson Inlet | 16150 |
| Henderson Inlet | Itsami Tract | 16300 |
| Hood Canal #1 | Coon Bay 1-4 Tract | 19900 |
| Hood Canal #1 | Thorndyke Tract | 20550 |
| Hood Canal #1 | Vinland Tract | 20750 |
| Hood Canal #2 | Hazel Point Tract | 21000 |
| Kingston | Apple Tree Cove | 06310 |
| Kingston | Apple Cove Point North | 06250 |
| Kingston | President Point Tract | 06400 |
| Nisqually Reach | Nisqually Tract | 13800 |
| Oro Bay | Cole Point Tract | 13550 |
| Port Gamble | Port Gamble | 20100 |
| Port Gamble | Point Julia | 20020 |
| Port Orchard Passage | Agate Pass Tract | 06800 |
| Port Orchard Passage | Manzanita Tract | 07000 |
| Protection Island | Protection Island | 01000 |
| Saratoga Passage | Langley North Tract | 03550 |
| Three Tree Point | Seahurst | 09060 |
| Three Tree Point | Fauntleroy Tract | 09050 |
| Wollochet Bay | Wollochet Harbor West | 10850 |
| Wykoff Shoal | Still Harbor Tract | 12750 |
| Yukon Harbor - RC | Harper Tract | 08340 |
Farmed Geoduck
Growing Area |
| Dabob Bay |
| Dana Passage |
| Discovery Bay |
| Drayton Passage |
| Eld Inlet |
| Hammersley Inlet |
| Harstine East |
| Harstine Island |
| Henderson Inlet |
| Hood Canal 1 |
| Nisqually Reach |
| North Bay |
| Peale Passage |
| Penrose Point |
| Pickering Passage |
| Samish Bay |
| Sequim Bay |
| Stretch Island |
| Totten Inlet |
| West Key Peninsula |
Click here for map.
Alaska State - Areas Cleared for Inorganic Arsenic Certification Certification to China
Updated 3.12.2024
Wild Geoduck
Harvest Area |
| Annette Island, Reserve Area 1 |
| Annette Island, Reserve Area 2 |
| Annette Island, Reserve Area 4 |
| Biorka Ch & Legma Is. |
| Blanquizal Island |
| Cat and Dog Islands |
| Cone Island North |
| Cone Island South |
| Davidson Inlet |
| East San Fernando Island |
| Elovoi/Golf/Gornoi Islands |
| Foggy Bay |
| Kah Shakes/North Kirk |
| Kaigani Strait |
| Kelp Island |
| Little Steamboat |
| Lower Cordova Bay |
| Maurelle |
| Middle Gravina |
| Nakat Bay |
| Nehenta |
| North Kirk Point to Bullhead cove |
| Northwest Dall Island |
| Palisades Islands |
| Percy Island |
| Portillo |
| Port Alice/Cone Island |
| Slate Island |
| South Gravina |
| St. Nicholas Islands |
| Steamboat Bay |
| Southern Gravina |
| Taigud Island |
| Tlevak Strait |
| Ulitka Bay |
| Vallenar Bay |
| Vegas/Hotspur Islands |
| Warren Island/Kosciusko Island |
Farmed Geoduck
Growing Area |
| Gravina West |
Click here for Alaska map.
Click here for Metlakatla (MIC) map
Volunteers pass rocks along an assembly line to build a clam garden in Skagit Bay, Washington. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
