netting for prawns at sea off ujong pasir


was at the portuguese settlement at ujong pasir when we saw three men, two of them actively, pushing a large triangular net each, parallel to the shore and scraping along the sea bed. the push net or scissors net was being used to catch prawns.

the best time to go prawn netting is at low tide or at the beginning of the incoming tide. the man who was nearest to us was in chest-deep water. each time he lifted the net, he would first discard pebbles and other unwanted stuff and keep the prawns. he had a round container with a cover, into which he would drop the prawns.

the common prawn is a species found in the mud and sand of coastal areas in the tidal zone, in lagoons and brackish waters of estuaries. the activity of the prawn is linked to daylight and the tides. at low tide it burrows into the sand near the low tide mark.

the common prawn is omnivorous; it hunts mainly at night and feeds on algae, planktonic animalcules, marine worms and other small animals and even dead animals.