Commercial Fishery for Red Spot King Prawn (Penaeus longistylus)

Commercial Fishing for Red Spot King Prawns:

Commercial fishing for Red Spot King Prawns is primarily in the eastern Queensland part of its range.  The main fishing area is between about Lucinda and Bowen on the central Queensland coast, over a 20-30 wide strip to the west of the Great Barrier Reef.

Red Spot King Prawns are caught by demersal otter trawlers operating at night.   The main fishing area is open water in depths of 40-60 metres in the vicinity of coral reefs.

Red Spot King Prawns are grooved prawns, that is they have a pair of parallel grooves running the length of the upper surface of the carapace.

Red Spot King Prawns can be distinguished from Western King Prawns by having a red abdominal spot and blue-red over cream body markings (blue over cream in western king prawns)

The Red Spot King Prawn, as the name suggests is identified with the distinctive red spot along each side of its carapace. Red Spot Kings are trawled within the northern waters of Queensland and the Torres Strait. Red Spot Kings are similar to the Eastern King but may be regarded as having a slightly firmer texture. Red Spot Kings are generally marketed as a raw product, and are very popular throughout Europe and within the Domestic markets.

 

Scientific Name	Penaeus longistylus
Location	NSW, QLD, VIC, WA, SA
Season	March-September
Size	To 180mm
Australian Species Code	00 701923
Taste, Texture	-

Exporters, Importers & Processors, Wholesale & Agents of Red Spot King Prawns

Sizes of Prawns:
Prawns are graded according to the number of prawns per pound (445 grams) or per Kilo (1000gms)

U/10 = under 10 prawns per pound (extra large) (between 16 to 20 prawns to the Kilo)

10/20 = 10 to 20 prawns per pound (medium) (between 22 to 42 prawns to the kilo)

20/30 = 20 to30 prawns per pound (small to medium) (between 44 to 67 prawns to the kilo)

300/500 = 300 to 500 prawns per pound (extra small - shrimps) (between 675 to 1124 prawns to the kilo)

S & B = Soft and broken prawns - these are export 2nds due to slight damage or soft shell due to prawn malting just prior to capture.

Tips:- when comparing prices always compare by asking the count per pound - the lower the count the larger the size. The larger the size the higher the price

 

Cooking King Prawns on board trawler	Green (raw) Red Spot King Prawns
Fresh Cooked Ocean King Prawns	Cooked Ocean King Prawns