Prawn & Shrimp fishing in British Columbia

The prawn trap fishery targets the spot prawn, BC’s prime shellfish, dropped deep (200 to 300 ft) over soft bottom on a weighted line. The recreational opening is usually strongest in spring and summer, egg-bearing (berried) females must be released, and the daily limit below is a combined shrimp-and-prawn count.

Prawn & Shrimp closures in effect today (September 16, 2026)

28 closures affecting Prawn & Shrimp are in effect. A closure overrides the area-wide limit wherever the two overlap.

… and 18 more — see the area pages linked below.

Prawn & Shrimp limits and size by DFO area

Recreational tidal-water limits for Prawn & Shrimp, by DFO Pacific area. An area can list more than one row where the rules split by species group or subarea — read the Species column so a 0 (non-retention) is never mistaken for the neighbouring row. Confirm on the DFO page before fishing.
AreaSpeciesSubareasMin sizeDaily limitStatus
Area 1Shrimp including prawn1,101125Open
Area 2Shrimp including prawn2,102,130,142125Open
Area 4Shrimp including prawn4,104125Open
Area 7Shrimp including prawn7,107125Open
Area 8Shrimp including prawn8,108125Open
Area 13Shrimp including prawn13125Open
Area 14Shrimp including prawn14125Open
Area 15Shrimp including prawn15125Open
Area 16Shrimp including prawn16125Open
Area 17Shrimp including prawn17-1 to 17-4,17-7,17-8 and 17-10 to 17-21125Open
Shrimp including prawn17-5,17-6 and 17-90Closed
Area 18Shrimp including prawn18125Open
Area 19Shrimp including prawn19-1 to 19-6125Open
Shrimp including prawn19-7 to 19-120Closed
Area 20Shrimp including prawn20125Open
Area 23Shrimp including prawn23-1 to 23-30Closed
Shrimp including prawn23-4 to 23-11 and 123125Open
Area 24Shrimp including prawn24,124125Open
Area 28Shrimp including prawn28-1 to 28-7,28-9 and 28-11 to 28-14125Open
Shrimp including prawn28-8,28-100Closed
Area 29Shrimp including prawn29125Open

Read from DFO’s per-area recreational fishing pages and refreshed daily. Openings change in-season and subarea boundaries are set by coordinates, so this is a reading of DFO’s pages, not a substitute for them. Check the Fishery Notices for changes newer than the update dates, and always confirm on DFO before fishing.

Plan a Prawn & Shrimp trip

Pick calm water first: see which areas are fishable tomorrow or this weekend, or open any fishing area for its live wind, waves, tides and hourly fishing score. The full rules for a place are on its area regulations page.

Other species