Cold Water Prawn

Pandalus Borealis is commercially the most important coldwater species of the world. The largest stocks are found in the waters surrounding Greenland and Iceland, but there are also significant stocks in the North Sea, Skagerak, the Barents Sea and in the Gulf of Maine.

Habitat

Pandalus borealis prefers clayey and muddy bottoms at depths of 20-1400 m.

Biology

The coldwater prawn is a hermaphrodite changing sex from male to female at an age of 3-5 years old. The eggs are laid in late summer and remains attached to the female until early spring. The prawn changes shell during the summer period by absorbing water, which is gradually replaced by muscle mass. The prawn feeds on plankton and follows the daily movements of this, upwards during the dark hours and down towards the bottom during the day.

Catching Methods

Trawl nets designed for prawns.

Catching Area

Nutritional Value

The coldwater prawn is high in protein, yet low in fat (especially saturated fat) and calories. Contains healthy Omega-3 fatty acids. Has high levels of the following vitamins and minerals: vitamin B12, zinc, iodine, phosphorous, potassium, selenium and iron. Contains moderate levels of calcium, magnesium and sodium.

Size

Typical size: 10-12 cm, 10-12 g

Name

Latin: Pandalus borealis

German: Grönlandgarnele/Tiefseegarnele

French: Crevette nordique/crevette rouge

Spanish: Camarón norteño/camarón boreal

Italian: Gamberello boreale

Danish: Dybhavsreje

Dutch: Noorse-garnaal

Portugese: Camarão árctico

Inspiration

Prawn Fishery

Royal Greenland catches prawns both with large factory trawlers, which cooks and freezes the catch on board, and with smaller vessels, which lands their catch fresh at the factories along the West coast of Greenland.

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