A wipe out of fresh farmed prawns in Queensland earlier this year has caused a delay in deliveries and will see a limit of supply in the build-up to Christmas because of a white spot outbreak.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Wayne Kelly, owner of Feed of Fish only received his first shipment of Queensland banana prawns yesterday, almost a month late.
“Normally we would be getting fresh Queensland prawns in at the start of November, due to the fact their supplies are low, they’re [suppliers] holding onto a lot of the stock to make sure they have got them for Christmas,” he said.
According to the National Biosecurity Communication and Engagement Network, white spot disease is a “highly contagious viral disease” that can be present in prawns and other crustaceans.
Mr Kelly said earlier in the year white spot disease wiped out approximately 70 per cent of prawn farms in Queensland which will see supply shift back towards frozen wild-caught supplies.
“They are caught, cooked and frozen on the boat, so the product and quality is exceptional, really good, majority of the time you would find it hard to tell that it’s a frozen product not a fresh one, if it has been treated correctly.”
A fresh prawn that hasn’t been frozen before is a little bit sweeter, and when it comes down to texture it’s softer than a frozen prawn.
- Wayne Kelly
Because of the limit of supplies for larger fresh prawns the price has increased by approximately 25 per cent whereas frozen prawns have only shifted by around 10 per cent in comparison to the same time last year.
Seafood shopper Robyn Meneilly said the quality of Australian prawns is exceptional and that she will continue to support the Australian prawn industry over imported products.
“Every year we usually have them on Christmas Eve,” she said.
White spot disease can cause mortality among stock, contaminate and cause prolonged damage to farming environments.
According to the Queensland Government’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, infected prawns do not pose a food safety health risks to humans.