*

The status for Australia’s stocks of Endeavour Prawns varies by species across jurisdictions depending on the availability of catch and abundance information.  Where there is adequate information for assessment, such as in the main commercial fisheries, they are considered to be sustainable. Otherwise, where less information is available, they are classified as undefined.

Endeavour Prawns includes two species, Blue Endeavour Prawn Metapenaeus endeavouri, and Red Endeavour Prawn M. ensis that are generally not distinguished in fisheries. Although the two species are caught in differing proportions in different regions.

Endeavour Prawn fisheries are located in Shark Bay, Exmouth Gulf, the north coast of Western Australia, the Gulf of Carpentaria, the Torres Strait and the east coast of Queensland. Little is known about the biological stock structure of the populations of Blue and Red Endeavour Prawns that make up these fisheries. The majority of catch reported in this chapter is Blue Endeavour Prawn. Red Endeavour Prawn represents less than 20 per cent of the catch in the East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery [Turnbull and Atfield 2007]) and between 20–40 per cent in the Northern Prawn Fishery.

Here, assessment of stock status is presented at the management unit level—Northern Prawn Fishery (Blue Endeavour Prawn), Northern Prawn Fishery (Red Endeavour Prawn), Torres Strait Prawn Fishery (Blue Endeavour Prawn) (Commonwealth); Exmouth Gulf Prawn Managed Fishery (Blue Endeavour Prawn), North Coast Prawn Managed Fishery (Blue Endeavour Prawn), Shark Bay Prawn Managed Fishery (Blue Endeavour Prawn) (Western Australia); and East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery (Red and Blue Endeavour Prawn) (Queensland).

East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery (Red and Blue Endeavour Prawn)

From 1998 to 2019, there has been a general upward trend in the nominal catch rate [QFISH 2020, Wang et al. 2015] for Endeavour Prawns (species combined, as they are not differentiated in commercial logbooks). The harvest ratio between Blue and Red Endeavour Prawns has been reasonably stable at approximately 80:20. The overall catch rate was close to historical low levels in 2017 however this increased to near average levels in 2019. Effort in this fishery stabilized in 2007, following management changes, marine park closures and the rising operational costs. The average annual catch rate for the past five years (2014–19) was 53 kg per day and slightly higher than the long-term average of 52 kg per day (1990–2018). Current harvest levels are significantly lower than 2001 levels when an assessment concluded that Endeavour Prawns were fully exploited [Turnbull and Gribble 2004] although catches have been stable over the last ten years (2010–19). The above evidence indicates that the biomass of this stock is unlikely to be depleted and recruitment is unlikely to be impaired.

The average annual commercial harvest of Endeavour Prawns in the past five years (2014–19) was 472 t, which is close to half the long-term average of 940 t for the period from 1990–2018. Fishing effort for endeavour prawns in 2019 catch (8 652 days) was 56 per cent less than the long-term average of 19 940 fishing days. Current effort levels are below both effort at maximum sustainable yield (E_MSY) and effort at maximum economic yield (E_MEY) predictions for both the northern (above 16°S) and southern (16–22°S) parts of the fishery area [QFISH 2020]. This level of fishing pressure is unlikely to cause the stock to become recruitment impaired.

On the basis of the evidence provided above, the multispecies East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery (Red and Blue Endeavour Prawn) (Queensland) management unit is classified as a sustainable stock.

Red and Blue Endeavour Prawn biology [Courtney et al. 1989, Kailola et al. 1993, Keating et al. 1990, Kangas et al. 2015, Somers et al. 1987, Yearsley et al. 1999]

Commonwealth – Indigenous (management methods) The Commonwealth Government does not manage non-commercial Indigenous fishing (with the exception of the Torres Strait). In general, non-commercial Indigenous fishing in Commonwealth waters is managed by the states or territory immediately adjacent to those waters. In the Torres Strait both commercial and non-commercial Indigenous fishing is managed by the Torres Strait Protected Zone Joint Authority (PZJA) through the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (Commonwealth), Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry (Queensland) and the Torres Strait Regional Authority. The PZJA also manages non-Indigenous commercial fishing in the Torres Strait.

Commonwealth – Recreational (fishing methods) The Commonwealth Government does not manage recreational fishing. Recreational fishing in Commonwealth waters is managed by the states or territory immediately adjacent to those waters, under their management regulations.

Queensland – Indigenous (management methods) for more information see https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries/traditional-fishing

Commercial catch of Red and Blue Endeavour Prawns - note confidential catch not shown

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