The Spencer Gulf King Prawn
The western king prawn has a wide distribution over the Indo-Pacific region. The world's largest known population of western king prawns are in the Spencer Gulf. The Prawns of the Spencer Gulf are rich and savoury with a subtle vanilla sweetness.
Fishery of The Spencer Gulf King Prawn has recently been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council. It is Australia's first prawn fishery to receive MSC certification.
The exclusive Spencer Gulf King Prawn fishing community has only 39 licensed prawn fishers who fish on average a mere 55 nights per annum.
The fishery only operates in about 15% of the Gulf, this combined with such a short fishing period, self imposed permanent closures, leaves much of the Gulf untouched- this ensures a healthy ecosystem and natural regeneration of the prawns.
The fishing operations correspond with the phases of the moon, conducted over the dark of the moon in the months of November, December, March, April, May & June.
Fishing Takes place at night, with the average trawl a mere 50 minutes. After each trawl the catch is emptied onto a sorting table where the prawns are graded and either cooked or packed raw green and snap frozen on the vessel.
The time the prawn takes to go to from the prawn landing to the freezer is generally less than 30 minutes- this minimal time guarantees the culinary integrity of the prawn.
Photos: www.adelaidenow.com.au
A world leader in the way the catch is handled, using the latest technology, including the use of 'crab bags' to exclude mega-fauna bycatch, 'hoppers' for efficient sorting of the catch and rapid return of bycatch, 'graders' to sort the prawns into marketable size categories, and on-board freezing facilities that enable full processing on-board.The Spencer Gulf King Prawn Fishery has demonstrated- through rigorous, independent assessment process conducted by Moody Marine- that the king prawn stocks being targeted are healthy, it's fishing practices have minimal impact on the marine ecosystem and overall the fishery is well managed. The Spencer Gulf King Prawn is not only sustainable but is a genuinely superior culinary experience.
Photo: www.academic.oup.com
Information: The SEAFOOD of the Eyre Peninsula- Australia's Seafood Frontier Book
http://seafoodfrontier.com.au/fresh-premium-seafood/
