44 BCBusiness may 2014
(continued from page 41)
So how did a commodity once exclusively
shipped to Asia gain local popularity? The rise of the Ocean
Wise program and its focus on sustainability—finding a
local market for local prawns—is one answer. But Chris
Sporer, executive director of the Pacific Prawn Fisher-
men's Association, also gives credit to B.C. chefs for doing
an "incredible job of showcasing prawns" and making the
dish so appealing. He's happy that local residents have
embraced the wild seafood the way they have.
Spot prawn is a rare luxury because of its limited quan-
tity and time on the market, but these restrictions keep
the fishery sustainable. Regulations restrict each licence
holder to a single daily haul (an average of 200 pounds) and
a maximum trap number (300 traps per licence), and a lim-
ited number of boats are licensed to fish. Before these regu-
lations were put into place in 1990, overfishing of prawns
had led to their decline. In 1989 approximately 900 licences
were issued; only 250 were issued the following year.
TASTy CATCH Joel empties the last trap of the day before the boat heads back to port in Cowichan Bay,
where eager buyers line up at the dock for their fix of fresh-caught spot prawns.
f i S h i N g
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