Tag Archives: spot prawn industry
Meet one of the young faces of Steveston’s spot prawn industry
The best part of spot prawn season, according to Reid Thornton, is the “tight-knit” community. Now in his fifth season, the 21-year-old Steveston resident started working in the industry fresh out of high school. Thornton is the sales manager and a deckhand at Steveston Spot Prawns & Seafood. With the exception of Thornton himself, most employees in the company are third-generation Japanese-Canadian fishermen. He had heard of spot prawns prior to starting his job, but he had no idea about the extent of its popularity. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:38
DFO backtracks on rule that harvesters warned would destroy the local spot prawn industry
“The Minister has been informed that for this season, [conservation and protection’s] enforcement posture toward the practice of tubbing will be one of outreach and education,” reads a statement from the office of Minister Bernadette Jordan. James Lawson, a prawn harvester from Heiltsuk First Nation, says the latest announcement is cold comfort to fishermen like him. “They know the solution: just don’t bring [the change] in. Everyone is furious, the consumers, the prawn fishermen, it’s just ridiculous. People want local seafood and we want to supply it.” >click to read< 21:08
B.C. spot prawn industry nets new markets close to home
For forty years, Guy Johnston has worked six-week stints on his fishing boat without a break harvesting spot prawns on the central coast of British Columbia. Johnston said he still likes fishing the red crustaceans, found only in West Coast waters, after all these years. Johnston lives in Cowichan Bay and, like many prawn fishers in the area, saw the international demand for his catch decline due to COVID-19. “The price dropped by over 50 per cent,,, However, along with the disappointment, Johnston also saw hope: Fishers pivoting to sell in local markets. >click to read< 08:20
