Prawn trawlers arrive on time

He said the boats had arrived at the start of this week with a “solid” 400 tonnes of prawns for the Christmas market.

“The prawn quality and prawn size are good this year,” he said.

Mr Clark said the bulk of their produce remained in the domestic market, sold in almost all states, with markets in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and even some heading to WA, while the export market remained small.

“It’s a high quality product that people can get domestically that is still quite affordable,” he said.

He said prices had been quite good this year for fishers but prawns were still a good choice for consumers.

Mr Clark said there was a feeling of excitement in the sector leading up to Christmas time.

“I think that people like to celebrate with prawns, as they see them as a special occasion food,” he said.

This year the Spencer Gulf and West Coast Prawn Fishermen’s Association celebrated its 50^th year since Roger Howlett began surveying the area for prawns, with a dinner held at Adelaide Oval last month.

Mr Clark said in the past 50 years, the association members had placed a focus on sustainability, which lead to the fishery being Marine Stewardship Council-certified.

The association comprises about 39 licensed fishers who go out about 50 nights from November through to June.