HARVEST SEASON OF MANILA CLAMS

[Anchor Lead]

Telltale signs of spring can be found even on muddy beaches along the west coast. One of them is the harvest of fresh manila clams, which are now in season. This year's production is predicted to drop due to a prolonged rainy season and heavy rain last summer. But the shellfish are said to be greater in size and taste better.

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Geunso Bay in Taean, Chungcheongnam-do Province is a major clam producer in South Korea. A vast muddy beach emerges after the sea water rolls away. Aboard some 100 cultivators, groups of fishers go to work on the beach. They rake up basketfuls of manila clams. The harvest of clams resumes after a four-month winter break, ushering in the spring. Manila clams are the best in taste and quality around this time ahead of their spawning season.

[Soundbite] Ahn In-bok(Taean fisher) : "The clams are now in season. They are mature and taste good. Now is the best time."

Roughly 300 fishers picked up some ten tons of clams during this year's first harvest. All of them will be exported to Japan. Geunso Bay produces 7,000 to 8,000 tons of manila clams annually. This year's production, however, is predicted to drop by 10 to 20 percent, due to last summer's heavy rain. The reduced production has led to a ten percent rise in prices. Currently, manila clams sell for 2,300 won per kilogram.

[Soundbite] Choi Chang-yeol(Taean fisher) : "Production has reduced due to heavy rains last year. But size and quality are better."

In Taean, the harvest of manila clams will continue until early November.