From a basket hoisted on the back of his trawler, fisherman Freddy Gutmann proudly picks up a giant geoduck clam fresh from the frigid waters off the northwestern Canadian coast.
"This one is a great specimen," Gutmann says as sea water gushes from the massive mollusk that measures an impressive 20 centimeters (eight inches).
Gutmann has good reason to be in high spirits since within 24 hours, the super-sized shellfish -- shunned by Western chefs -- will be served at top restaurants in Hong Kong, Beijing or Tokyo for a steep price.
Without missing a beat, the 35-year veteran of the Pacific waters off northwest Canada swiftly fills three orange cases with his sorted and cleaned catch so they can be rushed to the airport in Vancouver -- and on to Asia.
While a kilo (2.2 pounds) of geoducks goes for some Can$30 (US$27) these days -- six times less than what top Asian eateries will ask their patrons to fork over -- that wasn't always the case, recalled Gutmann.
"Fifteen years ago, its price was around 30 cents per pound, maximum," he said.
