I've never seen any science of any kind that supports the survival of gravid Prawns/their eggs through all those atmospheres, anyone out there know of any?

ya but if you put them in your bucket there is a 100% chance they will not survive. For me its always those monster palm sized prawns that are full of eggs but I just feel bad keeping them.

Maybe there is someone who will be going to the Area 17 SFAB meeting and others that can make a motion to change the wording of the Sport Fishing Tidal Guide before the next issue comes out next year.

I am going to try to get this accross to the Area 14 SFAB meeting in two weeks.

The wording and change by the fisherman is all that needs to be done before they go to far, and close our fishery till the Girls are done with their eggs. We don't want our opening or fishery to be held over till May when the commerical fishermen start their season.

We need to release these prawns and make sure that our prawns 3-4 years from now are still there for sport. Its not renewable forever unless there is some change.

Well I hope my letter will be start. If not I hope to find out what I have to do..

It is my understanding if I wanted to ask that there be a change in the Sport Fishing Tidal Regulations about Berried/Egged prawns that I should send you a letter asking the a motion for the change be presented at the next Area 14 SFAB meeting on March 24th.

We all know the damage that harvesting these prawns could do to our fishery down the road with possible closures if it came down to it. And none of us want that.

What do I have to do to make sure that the wording in our Sport fishing Guide happens?

Under the Limits and Management Measures acts it say:

"• Prawns carrying eggs under their tail should be released for

conservation purposes" Page 26.

It should say MUST be released

DFO always does what is easy and the easiest way to fix a problem like this is to close it. The Whale would be happy with that as he would no longer have to worry about sorting berried prawns to release and then possibly die.

WhaleBreath, You are talking Humpback shrimp, and not commercial prawns. Two different species, and two completely differently managed commercial fisheries. Chances are those humpback shrimp were caught by Shrimp Trawl fishery. There is not a ruling that states commercially caught egg bearing Shrimp must/should be released. That is not governed by the same Management Plan as Prawns.

A few outtakes from the Shrimp MP,

8.1.2. Ensure Fishing Season Consistent with Biological Year
The fishing season follows the egg bearing period to protect mature female shrimp from being impacted by the fishery twice in the same biological year. The “shrimp year” has been defined as April 1 to March 31. Most SMAs open for fishing June 1 to avoid egg bearing females.

2.10.1.6. Berried Prawns: From May 1 to June 30, any prawns with more than 200 eggs shall be released immediately and unharmed to the waters from which they are caught.

There is no minimum size for species of shrimp other than the prawn Pandalus platyceros.

and one for you, FA,
9.3. Recreational Fishery
The Department’s objective is to affirm the social and economic importance of the recreational prawn fishery, to create an environment within the advisory process in which recreational fishing representatives are welcome to freely express their concerns and opinions at the table, and to establish working mechanisms in conjunction with the other fishing sectors to reduce conflict and mitigate issues.
The document “Recreational Fisheries in Canada, An Operational Policy Framework” may be requested from any fishery manager listed in this plan or is available on the internet at:
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/policies ... pc-eng.htm

Recreational prawn and shrimp trap harvesters are welcome to provide comments to the Department. Comments may be mailed to: Fisheries & Oceans Canada, att’n. Prawn Fishery Manager, 3225 Stephenson Pt. Rd., Nanaimo, B.C., V9T 1K3 or emailed to Laurie.Convey@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.

For recreational,
7.1. Release of Undersized and Berried Prawn and Shrimp
“Berried” refers to prawns and shrimp that are carrying eggs held under their tails. There are various means of releasing undersized and berried prawns and shrimp in order to increase their survival. Release at the fishing location is recommended so that there is a greater chance of the prawn and shrimp returning to their preferred habitat. Release in other locations after or during moving will needlessly increase their mortality. Release as soon as possible is recommended to reduce the potential damage to eyes from UV radiation or from air exposure.
Do prawns and shrimp survive when released? They don’t have swim bladders so pressure change is not a problem. The Department has tagged and released prawns in the past and they have re-entered traps