WATCH: The fishing season has begun in B.C., but not for salmon. Elaine Yong checks in on this year’s frantic and sometimes cutthroat spot prawn fishery.
Over the past decade, spot prawns have gone from a little-known fringe ingredient to one of B.C.’s signature products.
“They are everything you want in a food,” said sustainable seafood champion and chef Robert Clark. “They’re delicious, they’re local, they’re sustainable–almost perfect.”
Today is day two of the spot prawn season and despite the short season and high costs, they are a goldmine for the 250 licensed harvesters.
The industry is worth an estimated $40 million a year, with prawns expected to fetch around $17 to $18 a pound. More and more of the catch is staying in B.C.
“The majority–some say 97 per cent–were exported mostly to Japan,” said Clark. “It was very difficult for us as chefs here in Vancouver to get access to quality spot prawns. The ones we did manage to get were generally of an inferior quality–basically what the Japanese wouldn’t buy–so our perception was that they weren’t very good.”
Many credit Clark for putting the spot prawns in the spotlight. He started the Spot Prawn Festival nine years ago.
B.C.’s healthy spot prawn market has helped some local fishermen deal with the financial ups and downs of their industry.
It also gives foodies a chance to buy local. Customers will have to act fast though as spot prawn season only lasts about six weeks.
-with files from Elaine Yong
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