An all-formats team in Washington state found a distinctive angle on President Donald Trump’s trade war with China—through the lens of bizarre-looking clams called geoducks and their impact on Indigenous communities.
The team discovered that Canada’s geoduck industry was being inadvertently boosted by U.S. tariffs on China, where geoducks are considered a delicacy.
Seattle-based video journalist Manuel Valdes, who had previously reported on China’s appetite for the unusual mollusks harvested in Washington state, recognized the clams as a compelling way to explore the ripple effects of trade policy.
Working with business reporter Sally Ho and photographer Lindsey Wasson, the trio told the story through the experiences of Indigenous communities, who own half the rights to the harvest tracts.
AP colleagues in China contributed reporting that helped corroborate market trends and fill in the global picture, making the piece both visually rich and globally informed.
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