Prawn

prawn a name linked to shrimp, under which heading the differences in usage between Britain and N. America are explained. The present entry deals with what British people call prawns, although all of them would be called shrimps by Americans.

The international trade in frozen prawns (or prawn meat) has grown to be very large and will no doubt continue to grow as methods of ‘farming’ certain species are perfected. It is, however, to be regretted that much prawn farming in S. Asia has proved damaging both to local fishing communities and to the ecology of coastal waters (see aquaculture).