⚓ BC Fishing Weather

Prawn & Shrimp Fishing in BC

Daily limits, minimum size and closures by DFO area · updated daily

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 (October 31, 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 prawn1,101—125Open
Area 2Shrimp including prawn2,102,130,142—125Open
Area 4Shrimp including prawn4,104—125Open
Area 7Shrimp including prawn7,107—125Open
Area 8Shrimp including prawn8,108—125Open
Area 13Shrimp including prawn13—125Open
Area 14Shrimp including prawn14—125Open
Area 15Shrimp including prawn15—125Open
Area 16Shrimp including prawn16—125Open
Area 17Shrimp including prawn17—125Open
Area 18Shrimp including prawn18—125Open
Area 19Shrimp including prawn19—125Open
Area 20Shrimp including prawn20—125Open
Area 23Shrimp including prawn23,123—125Open
Area 24Shrimp including prawn24,124—125Open
Area 28Shrimp including prawn28-1 to 28-7,28-9 and 28-11 to 28-14—125Open
Shrimp including prawn28-8,28-10—0Closed
Area 29Shrimp including prawn29—125Open

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

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