This Day in the History of Hoaxes: June 9

June 9, 1987: Save the Geoduck
The Save the Geoduck Committee held a protest in New York to bring attention to the "plight of the geoduck" (which is a kind of clam) because it was apparently threatened with extinction on account of a "voracious international appetite for aphrodisiacs." United Press International covered the protest, leading to nationwide attention for the group. In fact, the geoduck was not in any danger, nor was it used as an aphrodisiac. The Save the Geoduck committee was the creation of media hoaxer Joey Skaggs. [joeyskaggs.com]

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