Illegal to retain berried prawns.

[Rockfish]

It makes sense to me, after all we release female crabs.

 

[mbowers]

It makes sense to me, after all we release female crabs.

That's a recent change. It would be interesting to know if it actually improves populations. Just because there's a couple dude crabs at a crab clam party doesn't guarantee more spawning. Also if you've ever tried soft shell crab you might be willing to sacrifice a couple of females.

 

[mbowers]

There is (of course) research on this. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165783611003924 - bottom line, mortality rates are very low for prawns that are not out of the water for too long and that are not dropped from a height of 2m or more.

View attachment 37202

Thank you very much for posting that research. Unfortunately the chart does not answer the important question which is do the eggs survive to hatching. Pressure changes are brutal on the eggs too.

Does the research study survival of predation too or just survival in a tank? I would imagine there's a chummed up frenzy of predators waiting to nail free drifting prawns over popular prawning spots..

Seems like a great idea on the surface but really need in depth science to help guide the decision.

 

[Brian Reiber]

Great reg. We've been doing it as long as we have been prawning (3 years or so). I release them gently into the water until they swim away so the gulls don't pluck them off the surface. Is anyone here a marine biologist or an invertebrate expert? What happens after they have spawned. I noticed last week that a lot of our big females had shed most of their eggs. You could only tell they were females because there were eggs caught in the corners. I kept a few that were mostly shed and released the ones that still had eggs over the belly. What do others do? I'm just curious what happens to these females after they have obviously spawned.

 

[seadog19]

You mean people KEEP THEM?!!!

I'm ok with this, I take the time to sort each trap for small ones and berried bugs. Back they got for the future..

 

[seadna]

Thank you very much for posting that research. Unfortunately the chart does not answer the important question which is do the eggs survive to hatching. Pressure changes are brutal on the eggs too.

Does the research study survival of predation too or just survival in a tank? I would imagine there's a chummed up frenzy of predators waiting to nail free drifting prawns over popular prawning spots..

Seems like a great idea on the surface but really need in depth science to help guide the decision.

Those are both good questions - As for the eggs, that particular study doesn't address that but in a study looking at the possibility of spot prawn aquaculture, prawns harvested conventionally were used to provide eggs for broodstock and the survival rate for the eggs - larvae process was about 90% (see this masters thesis - http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/ftp05/mq24173.pdf) . That obviously only involved the decompression part of what we do when catching and then releasing berried prawns but none the less, it suggests the eggs are fairly tolerant to pressure changes.

As for the likelihood of a spot prawn making it back to the bottom in safety, I can't find any good studies on that - they may exist, I just can't find them. That said, typically, discards are not that frequent in my experience so it's not that similar to chumming. Also, most of what eats spot prawns are other bottom dwellers so my guess would be that they would have a high survival rate until they get close to the bottom and then it's unknown. There have been past tagging studies, but it's hard to estimate survival rates from those.

 

[capt hook]

a long overdue , ruling.
the next couple years will show the results.
I think they should close the entire coast in the Fall when they start to berry up.
Not just small areas like Howe Sound.

 

[Cuba Libre]

a long overdue , ruling.
the next couple years will show the results.
I think they should close the entire coast in the Fall when they start to berry up.
Not just small areas like Howe Sound.

Why would you do that when the science shows a low mortality rate on discarded prawns ? At times we seem to be our own worst enemies .

 

[deepcover]

WOW. Was this really recommended by SFAB? Why? How about any measures to control the commercial rape and pillage?

Category(s): RECREATIONAL - Shellfish
Fishery Notice - Fisheries and Oceans Canada Subject: FN0261-RECREATIONAL - Shellfish - Prawn and Shrimp - New Recreational Fishing Regulation: Mandatory to Release Prawns with Eggs New Recreational Fishing Regulation April 1, 2018: to conserve prawn populations it is mandatory to release all egg-bearing female prawns. Changes to the conditions of the BC Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Licence for 2018/2019 require that no person shall retain prawns carrying eggs, or remove eggs from the underside of prawns carrying eggs. All prawns carrying eggs externally on the underside of the tail shall be returned to the water immediately and in the manner that causes the least harm. This new regulation was recommended by the Sport Fishing Advisory Board to help conserve prawn populations for a vibrant and sustainable recreational fishery in British Columbia. As part of their reproductive processes prawns transition from male to female halfway through their 4-year lifecycle. Wild prawn stocks are monitored twice a year in BC to ensure a minimum number of female prawns are present in the population. The next time you set your prawn traps watch for scientific observers out on the water. They’re collecting important data that will be used to monitor the abundance of female prawns in future stock assessments. Your participation in scientific monitoring is a fundamental part of sustainable fisheries management. Please honour the spawner and fish responsibly! Protect egg-bearing female prawns. It’s mandatory to release them! Respect biological monitoring, catch limits and seasonal closures. Sampling occurs in the spring during the commercial fishery and again in the fall during spawning season. Trained fisheries observers are authorized to board commercial vessels to examine traps to sort and count catch by gender and maturity stage. Monitoring results may necessitate seasonal closures that apply to all fisheries. Winter is when the highest number of spawning female prawns are present. During this time recreational harvesters must respect area closures or, if areas are open, protect egg-bearing female prawns by returning them to the water in support of future stock strength. Expect catch success to vary every season. Every season marks a new life stage with environmental conditions that influence prawn abundance. Ocean currents, larval distribution and changes in water temperature and salinity all have an impact on survival and population strength. When it comes to prawn fishing there is no such thing as “an average condition of abundance,” which means you can count on your catch success to vary—season to season, area to area, year over year, throughout the Pacific region. Prawns Spawn! http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/docs/prawnspawn-crevreprod-eng.html Recreational Prawn Fishing. What to Expect? http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/docs/prawn-trap-piege-crevette-eng.html 2018 - 2019 Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Licences www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/sportfish BC Sport Fishing Guide http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/index-eng.html FOR MORE INFORMATION : Laurie Convey 250-756-7233 laurie.convey@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Mike Kattilakoski 250-756-7315 mike.kattilakoski@dfo-mpo.gc.ca David Fogtmann 250-339-3799 david.fogtmann@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Anna Magera 604-916-6743 anna.magera@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Brad Beaith 250-756-7190 brad.beaith@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Coral Keehn 250-627-3021 coral.keehn@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Fisheries and Oceans Canada Operations Center - FN0261 Sent March 29, 2018 at 18:24 Visit us on the Web at http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca If you would like to unsubscribe, please submit your request at: http://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=manage_subscription If you have any questions, please contact us via e-mail to: DFO.OpsCentreFisheryPacific-CentreOpsPechePacifique.MPO@canada.ca

Non-issue for me. How many berried prawns are people catching? I had 40-50 prawns last weekend and I threw maybe 4 or 5 back with eggs. I'll come back and get them next week.

 

[capt hook]

we had 200 today and only one with eggs.

Why would you do that when the science shows a low mortality rate on discarded prawns ? At times we seem to be our own worst enemies .

True Enough...
but Prawn pressure is heavier past few years than ever in our coastal history.
And it is showing, not now at opening of season , but in month or two ???
The results of this rule are going to be interesting.
I think its going to really help the bio mass.

 

[Fish Camp]

I eat raw prawns and berries.best was on a shimp troller by catch and cooked them a bit on the engine egust pipe.

 

[ziggy]

we had 200 today and only one with eggs.


True Enough...
but Prawn pressure is heavier past few years than ever in our coastal history.
And it is showing, not now at opening of season , but in month or two ???
The results of this rule are going to be interesting.
I think its going to really help the bio mass.

Where I fish them the pressure starts in May with the commercial opening. No sense fishing them again until the Fall.

 

[mbowers]

Those are both good questions - As for the eggs, that particular study doesn't address that but in a study looking at the possibility of spot prawn aquaculture, prawns harvested conventionally were used to provide eggs for broodstock and the survival rate for the eggs - larvae process was about 90% (see this masters thesis - http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/ftp05/mq24173.pdf) . That obviously only involved the decompression part of what we do when catching and then releasing berried prawns but none the less, it suggests the eggs are fairly tolerant to pressure changes.

As for the likelihood of a spot prawn making it back to the bottom in safety, I can't find any good studies on that - they may exist, I just can't find them. That said, typically, discards are not that frequent in my experience so it's not that similar to chumming. Also, most of what eats spot prawns are other bottom dwellers so my guess would be that they would have a high survival rate until they get close to the bottom and then it's unknown. There have been past tagging studies, but it's hard to estimate survival rates from those.

Thanks for posting the scientific study. That's enough to satisfy me that the eggs will survive. The recompression is at the prawn's choice since it is no longer in a trap so should be less harmful than the trip up. Probably getting back to depth asap is the best anyway.

I was not thinking of the few discarded prawns as the chum, more the bait, scent and prawns in the trap that had been sitting there taunting the predators and then dragged up which spreads more scent as the chum source.

 

[Goathorns]

The prawns have an exoskeleton, which makes them tough.
the eggs are spherical, the ultimate shape to deal with pressure .
Ya, when you throw them back you have to keep them close to the boat or the gulls will eat them.
Thanks for the heads up, as I had not heard of this new regulation.

 

[mbowers]

The prawns have an exoskeleton, which makes them tough.
the eggs are spherical, the ultimate shape to deal with pressure .
Ya, when you throw them back you have to keep them close to the boat or the gulls will eat them.
Thanks for the heads up, as I had not heard of this new regulation.

The bends are micro bubbles of gas produced inside the body. Exoskeleton and egg shape won't help with that.