Today is the first day of the 2025 Commercial Prawn Fishing season!
Bam! They’re off to a running start, about 246 boats take part in the commercial fishery, each boat carries about 300 traps unless they have a double stack license which means they can carry about 500.
They are set out in strings of 50 each about 25 – 50 ft. between each trap at depths ranging from 150 – 450 Ft. deep. A good haul would be an average of about 2+ lbs. per trap per day. About 150,000 lbs. per day for the fleet. The season is about 6 weeks long but changes each year based on testing done.
Recreational fishers here are very lucky to be able to fish for them about 250 days throughout the year or more with a daily limit of 125 currently.
BC Spot Prawns are a highly regulated, highly valued species of shrimp (Pandalus platyceros) with very clearly seen “Spots” on their tails. Fresh caught prawns will be approx. 12 – 20 per pound with the head still attached. In Canada they retail for about $30 per lb. The majority of the catch is sold directly to Asian markets because, let’s face it guys, they are willing to pay much much more than we are because they know they are the best!
Happy Prawning to everyone who ever gets a chance to go out for them!