China tariffs bite into B.C. spot prawn season, but foodies queue for kiss of the sea

Toronto resident Krista Jang showed off her "haul" on the False Creek Fishermen's Wharf in Vancouver — a bag of sweet and meaty spot prawns, live and kicking and fresh off the boat.

The actress was raised in Vancouver and spot prawn season is one of the things she misses most.

Jang said she would have them "Chinese style," steamed and dipped in a little soy sauce and sesame oil to make the most of their "pure and simple flavour."

"I've had it my whole life," she said last week of the bright orange crustaceans. "I see that they sell (in Toronto), but it's so expensive, and it's much fresher and affordable here."

British Columbia's spot prawn season is ending this week, with live prawns selling at around $20 to $25 per pound. This spring's season began in mid-May and lasted less than a month.

Domestic buyers like Jang make up only a small share of the market, but this year it was an important one, with China's 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian seafood putting a pinch on exports.

China is the biggest buyer of B.C.'s spot prawns, said Christina Burridge, executive director of the BC Seafood Alliance. She said the March 20 tariffs were a "real problem" for fishermen and exporters.

"Chinese customers don't want to pay that tariff. So, they expect that the fishermen here and the exporters will reduce their prices by at least 25 per cent, but it's impossible," said Burridge.

Mike Atkins, executive director with the Pacific Prawn Fishermen's Association, said the Chinese tariffs were the latest burden on fishermen, as the cost of bait and fishing supplies increased.

"Our exporters this year are trying to shift markets a little bit, because it's tough to get it to China with the price, so they're trying to shift back to Japan, which (once) was our main market for spot prawns," said Atkins. 

"It is really tough for the fishermen this year."

About 1,500 to 2,000 tonnes of B.C. spot prawns are landed each year, and about 80 to 90 per cent are typically exported, said Atkins. The total value of the B.C. prawn harvest in 2023 was $83 million, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

Lynette Kershaw with Prawns on the Spot in Richmond, B.C., said their spot prawn products usually go to public customers, but they also sell a certain portion of their frozen catch to the French Creek Fresh Seafood market in Parksville, B.C., which exports to Asia. 

"I think with the tariffs, and just with the world situation right now, we have had a slowdown in selling that frozen product, so that will impact us," said Kershaw, who has been selling spot prawns on Steveston Fisherman's Wharf for six years. 

But there hadn't been any slowdown in sales from local customers at the wharf. 

"I think that's because the people who enjoy spot prawns know that it's a local delicacy. They know that it's a very short amount of time … I think people just want to treat themselves," said Kershaw. 

A TASTING, PREPARED BY A 'LEGEND'

Back at False Creek, fisherman Stewart McDonald and his crew were doling out bags of kicking prawns from a blue tank.

Among those patiently waiting for a meal was a heron that the fishermen said was named Frank, prowling the wharf, and a plump harbour seal named Sparky, bobbing in the water and waiting for a handout.

McDonald has spent 20 years harvesting spot prawns and selling them at the wharf. He said he can't complain about the market due to huge demand from loyal local customers queuing for a taste.

Spot prawn season didn't use to be a big deal, but now it's celebrated, said McDonald. 

"It's kind of like turned into a social event, like go wine tasting or pick apples or berries," he said. "People look forward to this prawn season because it's only a short time, and it's earlier than most of the crops. The berries and the fruit hasn't come out yet, but the prawns are incredible … and people love them."

McDonald pointed out a particularly loyal customer, Dragon Watanabe, dragging a five-pound bucket of prawns to his car.

He said he was buying for his uncle's restaurant — and issued a spontaneous invitation to see them prepared by "a legend."

Watanabe's uncle, it turns out, is 75-year-old chef Hidekazu Tojo, reputed as the inventor of the California roll, and one of the most famous Japanese chefs in Canada.

His restaurant, Tojo's, goes through 20 to 25 pounds of spot prawns from McDonald's boat each day during the season. 

"Stewart brought us very high-quality ingredients, that's why I respect him, we are good friends," said Tojo of a 20-year relationship that has included going out on McDonald's boat. 

In the kitchen, Tojo dropped three prawns into a pot of boiling water for precisely one minute and 45 seconds — any longer and the meat would be tough, he said.

He lifted them out and gently peeled them, dressing them with a vinaigrette of cilantro and minced jalapeno and plating them with a few slices of melon.

There's subtle heat from the jalapeno, in contrast to the slight sweetness of the prawns.

Next is a "Tojo's golden roll," a sushi roll filled with raw spot prawns, Dungeness crab and salmon, topped with herring roe.

There's an explosion of briny freshness in the mouth. 

It tastes like kissing the sea. 

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns