Question Period Note: West coast commercial prawn fishery management

West coast commercial prawn fishery management

The west coast commercial prawn fishery uses size limits to help manage the commercial prawn fishery and conserve prawn stocks.

The industry practice of freezing prawn tails in containers of sea water can make it difficult for fishery officers to determine the size of prawn tails inside.

My department is reviewing recommendations from the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans (FOPO) and is engaging with industry to determine solutions for future seasons.

• Some commercial prawn harvesters freeze prawn tails onboard in containers, or “tubs”, filled with sea water. This practice has occurred for many years, but has grown in recent years.
• Whole prawns and tailed prawns (those with their heads removed) have a size limit, as specified in the Conditions of Licence. The limits are an important component of managing the sustainability of the prawn fishery.
• Recent discussions with DFO Conservation and Protection have determined that the practice can contravene the Fishery (General) Regulations, in that the size limit of the prawn tails frozen in the tubs cannot be readily determined by a Fishery Officer.
• The commercial prawn industry has expressed serious concern about the prospect that tubbing contravenes the regulations. They have stated that losing the ability to tub prawns will be a hardship to accessing local and domestic prawn markets, especially during the challenges of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has reduced demand for other product forms in international markets.
• Tubs can contain prawns that are closer to the size limit, as larger prawns are typically diverted to other product forms aimed at export markets. For example, in a recent conviction, 51 per cent of prawn tails in the inspected tubs were below the size limit.
• DFO Fisheries Management and Conservation and Protection recently met with industry to discuss options to address FOPO recommendations, and expects to have additional meetings in advance of the 2022-23 fishing season.

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