Our species are protandrous hermaphrodites. They first mature as males, then change sex after three years, spending the rest of their lives as mature females. After mating, fertilized eggs are attached to the female’s abdominal appendages for seven to eight months until they hatch in the spring. Larvae are pelagic, spending three to four months in the water column. They then move to the sea floor and take up the lifestyle of the adults. In more northern areas, shrimp are thought to live longer, while those in the south likely live for six or seven years. Shrimp can grow to about 15 to 16 centimeters, although the average size is about half of this. The two Pandalid species in Eastern Canada (Pandalus borealis and Pandalus montagui) are each considered to be a wide-spread, single stock complex but are currently managed as seven individual stocks.