Recruitment overfishing in the spot prawn (Pandalus platyceros) trap fishery in British Columbia on the west coast of Canada is managed using a fixed escapement system. Fixed escapement targets in the fishery are set and implemented as the number of female spawners caught per trap in the commercial fishery. The development and application of this management system are reviewed, including the theoretical basis for the method, implementation procedures/problems, on-going research, results and implications.