Banana Prawns
Origin
Found around the northern coast of Australia from the NSW-Queensland border to Shark Bay in WA, they are mainly caught by trawlers between Exemouth Gulf, WA and Brisbane, with the bulk of the catch coming from the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Season
Available year round with peak supply in April.
Size and Weight
Commonly 20-30g and 14-17cm body length, but can grow to 75g and 25cm. Redlegs are slightly smaller than whites.
Price
Medium priced.
Origin
Available wild-caught, they are bottom-dwelling marine prawns, found from southern NSW, around the northern coast of Australia to Shark Bay, WA.
Season
Mainly caught from March to November. NT and WA fisheries are closed December to March, and NT again in July.
Size and Weight
Blues are commonly 22-30g and 7-14cm body length, but can grow to at least 20cm. Reds are generally slightly smaller.
Price
Medium priced
Origin
Redspot are found around the northern Australian coast from Rockhampton to Shark Bay, WA, usually near coral reefs, and are trawled at night, mainly along Queensland’s eastern coast as far north as Cape York.
Season
Available year round with peaks from February to June.
Size and Weight
Commonly 40-50g and 10-21cm body length.
Price
High priced, with larger prawns fetching the highest prices and Western and Redspot generally cheaper than Eastern.
Origin
Eastern are found from Bass Strait east to Rockhampton and are an important fishery off Queensland and NSW, and to a lesser extent Victoria.
Season
Available year round with peaks from February to June.
Size and Weight
Commonly 40-50g and 10-30cm body length. Eastern can grow to 30cm.
Price
High priced, with larger prawns fetching the highest prices and Western and Redspot generally cheaper than Eastern.
