I'm not a big fish eater, but I love to hunt for shellfish.

Oysters are my favorite, with prawns running a close second. I like fresh crab if it is prepared for me, so my husband, Rick, does all the shelling and cracking. Mussels and clams are great with pasta or in soups, though it is a tedious job to remove the meat from the shells.

We always check with Fisheries and Oceans Canada for limitations on these delicacies, as well as the threat of paralytic shellfish poisoning in bi-valve fish such as clams, mussels and oysters.RICK LEBLANCCrabs are picky eaters. We use salmon parts to catch them.

Don't take any chances. Whether an area is closed because of a real public health threat or limited resources for testing, simply avoid it. Any stories you might hear from people suggesting that you can test this stuff yourself is hogwash. When I am in a remote area, away from readily available paramedics, I don't take chances when it comes to shellfish.

Instead, what we do is stock up, as much as our limits will allow, in the areas that are open for harvesting. In Canada, a fishing license is required for all species of shellfish and finfish and can be bought at sporting goods stores, resorts, service stations and marinas. Limits vary by area and don't be surprised if some species are banned all year round.

THE EASY STUFF

Digging for clams is easy at low tide on a sandy or shell-packed beach. We typically harvest manilla clams that are close to the surface and require only a light "raking" with hand or trowel. They are small and easy to pluck out. They are also sweet and delicious, though steaming them open and popping the meat out is time-consuming.RICK LEBLANCMuscles can be cooked and served in the shell, leaving all the work to the diners.

Mussels are most often found on rock outcroppings, submerged trees or dock pilings that are underwater at high tide. They are easy to pull off in clumps with their rope-like hair holding them all together in a neat bundle. They steam open easily and can be used interchangeably in recipes. They too are fussy and tedious to get out of the shell. But they can be cooked and served in the shell, leaving the real work to the diners!

Oysters are also a low-tide item and can be found lying on the sand at the bottom of a shallowing bay or stuck fast to rocks. Use a long-handled screwdriver or a chisel to get them loose. I wear rubber gloves when I go oyster picking, because their shells are sharp and easily can cut you.

They can be eaten raw, if you like that flavor, or cooked in a variety of ways – on the grill or steamed open and then dipped in batter and pan fried with a variety of bottled or homemade dipping sauces.

THE NEXT LEVEL

Crabbing and prawning require a different level of skill and equipment.

Crabs are fussy eaters and won't come into your trap unless you offer something tantalizing. They love fresh, bloody salmon trimmings such as heads, tails and entrails. Some people also use a can of opened cat food, tuna or frozen chicken parts as a lure, but we find fresh salmon is their favorite fare. Put it in a trap, sink it in 30 to 50 feet of water with a sandy or weedy bottom a few hours before the slack tide, keep the trap down for a few hours, and you'll likely find a batch of crabs in your trap.

Here, Dungeness crab must be at least 6 inches in width. Redrock crab must measure at least 4 inches. The limit is four per day in most areas. We boil our crabs for 10 minutes, broken away from the body shell so just the legs and claws are cooked.RICK LEBLANCPrawning requires a trap and at least 300 feet of line. We work the line by hand, but many others use a winch or windlass.

Prawning requires a good trap with a minimum of 300 feet of line and weights to keep it on the bottom. We use our tender to get to the prawning areas and do all the line work by hand. Many cruisers have different methods of prawning off their vessels, including many that require less effort. For lines up to 600 feet long, a dedicated winch or anchor windlass is often the solution.

Every prawner you talk to will tell you a different bait type and method for catching a good trap full. I talk to as many prawners as I can to keep all their ideas in mind.

One friend we know uses dry cat food for his bait. We find prawns also like fresh salmon heads, as well as a mixture of dry pellets made of assorted animal products soaked in fish oil. This bait resembles dry kibble dog food and has an oily consistency. We buy two ice cream bucket sized containers for our two-month summer cruise and store them in the stern lazarette.

We choose our prawn sites carefully. Using the charts to find the ideal spot, we look at depth contour lines, because prawns typically go into deep holes. Often, a spot near a running stream or other fresh-water source attracts them, because the current delivers an easy food source.RICK LEBLANCA good haul of prawns can provide several meals.

Once we find a good spot, we motor out using coordinates plotted into our GPS and fill the trap with bait and weight. Using the sounder, we find a bottom of between 200 and 300 feet and drop the trap over the side. When the line stops playing out we know we're on the bottom. Wind and current can interfere, making this calculation tricky, so maneuver the boat to stay on top of the line as you feed the trap down to the bottom. Once on the bottom we attach a large red buoy, clearly marked with our vessel's name and our phone number (this is a Department of Fisheries requirement) to the line and spool, and then motor away.

We never leave the trap out overnight. We've found that we don't catch any more prawns that way, but we do run the risk of losing the trap. We lost sight of a trap twice. Once, it was a mile away from where we had first placed it, with nothing edible within.

Once caught, these simple sweet crustaceans don't require much preparation. They need to be eaten while still fresh, steam cooked only briefly and shared with an appreciative audience.