Northern Prawns Eventually showing its soft and tender side, the Northern prawn is a hermaphrodite and starts life as a male - after 4-5 years it turns female. This specie is mostly found in areas with soft, muddy sediment where temperatures range from 1-6 C° at a depth between 150 and 600 meters. The palate-pleasing Northern prawns spawn in the autumn and the females carry the eggs until April/May, when they hatch.