Waved whelk | DE L'EAU À LA BOUCHE

Illustration couleur d'un buccin commun.

White body with black spots.

Light-coloured shell with a thin yellow coating. The shape and colour can vary.

Five to eight spirals ending in a point.

The opening of its shell is closed by a hard operculum found at the end of the whelk’s foot.

Name

Waved whelk
Buccinum undatum

Type

Seafood - molluscs

Other names

Common northern whelk, buckie

Kitchen name

Whelk, waved whelk

Resource status

Not determined

Consumption season

Fresh in spring and autumn.

SIZE:

Shell can grow to 15 cm.

LIFE EXPECTANCY:

10 to 15 years.

LIFE CYCLE:

Mating takes place between May and June. Two or three weeks later, the females come together to lay their eggs in the same place. The eggs form a spongy, yellowish, sticky mass casing, sometimes called sea wash balls. Five to eight months later, juvenile whelks are born, 2 to 3 mm in size.

Bed and breakfast

Empty whelk shells can become a favourite home for hermit crabs.

Coastal zone, up to 30 m depth.

The waved whelk favours cold waters and sandy or rocky bottoms.

Colour photograph of a waved whelk against a background of sand and seaweed.

Waved whelk likes sandy bottoms.
Credit: Richard Larocque, photo taken at Pointe-au-Père.

Voir l’image en plein écran

PREYS:

Softshell clams
Bivalve shellfish
Organic matter

PREDATORS:

Sea stars
Crabs
Lobsters
Fish

MACHINES:

Traps.

REGULATIONS:

Fishing effort management (number of traps, minimum whelk shell size of 63 mm)
Total allowable catch in certain fishing zones
Fishing seasons

As the waved whelk is not a fast-moving animal, it is more vulnerable to local overfishing. It has been fished in the St. Lawrence River since 1940.

BENEFITS:

Rich in magnesium, iron, calcium and in B and C proteins.

LET’S COOK:

Sold cooked, frozen or preserved in brine or vinegar. Texture and flavour depend on how it has been prepared. In brine, it will have a finer, iodized flavour. In vinegar, whelk will have a slightly tougher texture. Freezing tenderizes the product, giving it a softer texture.

OUR CULINARY ADVICE:

The waved whelk is like a giant snail. Instead of eating garlic escargots, why not try the local version with whelk?
Great as an appetizer, snack or in a chowder.

Species