Looking forward to prawn feasts this Summer, following is some interesting information about prawn life stages. We credit this information to the Canada Fisheries and Oceans website.
Wild prawns are a short-lived, complex species. As part of their reproductive processes, prawns transition from male to female halfway through their 4-year life cycle.
Count on variable catch success throughout the year.
Every season marks a new life stage with environmental conditions that influence prawn abundance. Ocean currents, larval distribution and changes in water temperature and salinity all have an impact on survival and population strength. When it comes to prawn fishing there is no such thing as “an average condition of abundance,” which means you can count on your catch success to vary—season to season, area to area, year over year, throughout the Pacific region.
Pacific prawn fisheries are seasonally monitored and managed for population health to ensure sustainable fishing opportunities for all licenced prawn harvesters throughout the region.
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/docs/prawnspawn-crevreprod-eng.html