Hong Kong Lifts Ban on Geoduck from British Columbia

The Chinese have lifted the ban on importing of geoduck from British Columbia, put in place December of 2014 after paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin was found in a shipment received. The Center for Food Safety said in a press release the "implementation of enhanced surveillance programs and actions" has satisfied concerns.

This is now the second time Asian authorities have acted on concerns of British Columbia and Washington not inspecting shellfish to their satisfaction. Geoduck from Washington were found to have levels of arsenic above what the Chinese considered safe. The response to "not eat the skin" was unsatisfactory to them, resulting in a prolonged ban of all shellfish from the entire west coast. After additional testing being put in place they agreed to begin importing shellfish, including geoduck, again.

The lesson learned is how dependent growers are on the Chinese. Their first ban of geoduck resulted in numerous press releases from companies such as Taylor Shellfish and Seattle Shellfish about how crippling the ban was to them. Similar press releases from British Columbia were also released when the second ban was put in place.

Currently the political relationship between China and the United States is not positive. China's build up of islands in the South China Sea, if challenged, is something which may result in the Chinese simply saying we no longer need geoduck, timber, or Boeing's jets.