Prawning Area 17 closures

[Earl Ledge]

I usually fish prawns in March or April in area 17-6. Viewing the regs on the sport fishing app it appears to be open Feb 16 to until March 1st. But I cannot see anything suggesting the Pulse fishing will continue in March and or April. Anyone got a handle on this? Many thanks.

 

[searun]

Winter closures protect large, mature egg-bearing females as their eggs prepare to hatch. The following areas are closed to the harvest of prawn and shrimp by trap, ring net or spear while diving from January 1 to March 31, 2023:

• Subareas 13-1, 13-12 to 13-17 (Quadra/Cortes Islands)
• Subareas 15-1, 15-2, 15-3 (Powell River/Lund)
• Subareas 16-1, 16-2, 16-5 to 16-10, 16-11, 16-16 to 16-18 (Malaspina Strait/lower Jervis Inlet and Sechelt/Salmon Inlets)
• Subareas 17-5, 17-10 to 17-13, 17-15, 17-16, 17-18 (Nanaimo and portion Stuart Channel)
• Subarea 19-7 to 19-12 (Saanich Inlet)
• Subarea 23-1 to 23-4 (Alberni Inlet/Barkley Sound)
• Subareas 25-1 to 25-5, 25-8, 25-16 (Tahsis/Muchalat Inlets)
• Subareas 28-1, 28-2, 28-5 (portion Howe Sound)

Subareas 17-6, 17-9 (Stuart Channel) will continue "pulse fishing" (closed in the first half of the month and open in the second half of the month):

• January 1 to January 15
• February 1 to February 15
• March 1 to March 15

FN1356