WESTERN KING PRAWN
COMMON NAME: King Prawn
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Melicertus latisulcatus
FISHERY: Shark Bay Prawn Trawl Fishery
GRADING: U8, U10, U15, U20, 20/30, 30/40 pieces per pound (pc/lb). Soft and Broken (S&B).
PACKING: 3 x 3kg. 9kg Master Carton (Packed and Frozen at Sea)
8 X 1kg. 8kg Master Carton (Packed and Frozen at Sea)
PRODUCT FORMAT: Whole Raw Frozen or Whole Cooked Frozen
BIOLOGY: Have a cream to light brown body, with legs and tailfin a distinctive bright blue. Available wild-caught, these are marine and estuarine-dwelling Prawns, with adults found offshore on a range of bottoms (rock, sand, mud and gravel) to depths of over 220m, but are mostly trawled in 20 – 45 m of water over course sediments.
Juveniles preferring estuaries or shallow coastal waters. They have a rich flavor and moist flesh.
FISHING GROUNDS: Shark Bay Prawn Fishery, FAO Area 57
FISHING METHOD: Demersal Trawl
SEASONALITY: March – September