Prawn: Spot

Spot prawn, Spot shrimp

There are more than 3000 species of shrimp worldwide. Many are tiny or inhabit niches unsuited for mass harvest. The approximately 40 species harvested on a commercial basis share two characteristics: they are relatively large, ranging from 2-10 cm carapace length; and they school, shoal, migrate toward baited traps, or otherwise aggregate so they are amenable to capture. Most shrimps are omnivorous, catching and scavenging whatever plant or animal material is readily available.

All coldwater shrimp are fast-growing, have a short longevity, and have high fecundity. For these reasons, coldwater shrimp are deemed “resilient” to fishing pressure.

Overfishing appears to be occurring in the Alaskan spot prawn pot fishery which is a serious concern and the British Columbia spot prawn fisheries appear fully-fished. The status of these stocks is therefore deemed of “moderate” concern.

Trap fisheries are generally considered to have low bycatch rates. The bycatch rate is 10% lower than the target catch in the southeast Alaska shrimp pot fishery. Bycatch rates in the BC and Washington pot fisheries also appear to be low. The nature and extent of bycatch for all coldwater shrimp species is ranked “low”.

The primary target for coldwater shrimp pot fisheries is spot prawns. Gears used to catch them are generally recognised as being less damaging to habitat than bottom trawls except in places like the Northeast Pacific where the spot prawns inhabit rocky hardbottom habitat with complex structure forming organisms such as glass sponges and corals which take years to recover. Contact of this gear type with these hard bottom habitats warrants a “moderate” conservation concern.

In Alaska and BC, stock assessments are considered complete and robust and the fisheries are comprehensively monitored and enforced. The west coast of the continental US spot prawn assessment and management is minimal. Spot prawns caught in BC and Alaska are considered effectively managed.

Where is the shrimp caught and what species is it?

Available data are insufficient to assess contaminant levels in this seafood.