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Tiger Prawn stocks in the Commonwealth, NT, WA and QLD are sustainable. There is one negligible stock in NSW. 

The standard name ‘Tiger Prawn’ refers to the species Penaeus esculentus, Penaeus semisulcatus and Penaeus japonicus. Only P. esculentus (Brown Tiger Prawn) and P. semisulcatus (Grooved Tiger Prawn) are considered in this chapter; P. japonicus is not caught commercially in Australian waters.  

Brown Tiger Prawn appears to be endemic to tropical and subtropical Australian waters. Some genetic evidence indicates that there are separate stocks on the east and west coasts of Australia [Ward et al. 2006]. The biological stock structure in the Commonwealth Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF) across northern Australia is uncertain and is assumed to be a single stock for assessment and management purposes.  Brown Tiger Prawns are also considered to constitute a single separate stock in the Commonwealth Jointly Managed Torres Strait Prawn Fishery for assessment and management purposes.

Grooved Tiger Prawn ranges across northern Australian waters, the Indo-West Pacific Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea. The biological stock structure is uncertain across northern Australia and in the Commonwealth NPF is assumed to be a single stock for assessment and management purposes.

Here, assessment of stock status is presented at the management unit level—East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery (Brown and Grooved Tiger Prawn) (Queensland), Exmouth Gulf Prawn Managed Fishery (Brown Tiger Prawn) (Western Australia), North Coast Prawn Managed Fisheries (Brown Tiger Prawn) (Western Australia), Northern Prawn Fishery (Brown Tiger Prawn) (Commonwealth), Northern Prawn Fishery (Grooved Tiger Prawn) (Commonwealth), Shark Bay Prawn Managed Fishery (Brown Tiger Prawn) (Western Australia), Torres Strait Prawn Fishery (Brown Tiger Prawn) (Jointly managed); and at the jurisdictional level—New South Wales (Brown Tiger Prawn).

Exmouth Gulf Prawn Managed Fishery (Brown Tiger Prawn)

A key management objective for Brown Tiger Prawns in Exmouth Gulf (WA) is to maintain the spawning biomass (using catch rate as a proxy for biomass) above the historically determined biological reference points [Penn et al. 1995], with a target of ≥ 25 kg per hour and a limit of ≤ 10 kg per hour in fishery independent spawning stock surveys [DPIRD 2021]. Daily monitoring of catch rates ensures cessation of fishing when catch rates drop below the target level within the key spawning area, or in early August, whichever comes first. Three fishery independent Brown Tiger Prawn spawning stock surveys were carried out from August–October 2022, achieving an average catch rate of 45.5 kg per hour, well above the target level. The fishery has recovered from the effects of the 2010–11 marine heatwave [Caputi et al. 2014a, 2016] that may have affected survival of recruits in the inshore nursery habitat in recent years. The above evidence indicates that the biomass of this stock is unlikely to be depleted and that recruitment is unlikely to be impaired. 

With respect to fishing mortality, temporal and spatial closures (based on fishery-independent and industry surveys) ensure that brown tiger prawns are not harvested at sub-optimal sizes. Commercial catch per unit effort (CPUE) data are used as an additional indicator of abundance to monitor changes in stock levels from year-to-year. The commercial catches are compared with a target catch range (250–550 t) based on the average catch from 1989–98, a period when the fishery was considered sustainable following a stock recovery [Newman et al. 2023].

The predicted catch for Brown Tiger Prawns in 2022 (based on the relationship between annual catches and measures of prawn abundance during pre-season recruitment surveys) was 390–585 t. The total catch of Brown Tiger prawns in 2022 was 411 t and was thus within both the target catch range and 2022 catch prediction range [Newman et al. 2023; Caputi et al. 2014b]. The level of annual fishing effort has reduced from historical levels of 35,000–50,000 hours (standardised to twin gear) to 22,715 trawl hours in 2022. The total number of fishing vessels has also been reduced substantially over time, from 23 vessels to six larger vessels operating with quad trawl gear. The above evidence indicates that the current level of fishing pressure is unlikely to cause the stock within the management unit to become depleted.  

On the basis of the evidence provided above, the stock within the Exmouth Gulf Prawn Managed Fishery (Western Australia) Brown Tiger Prawn management unit is classified as a sustainable stock.

North Coast Prawn Managed Fisheries (Brown Tiger Prawn)

In recent years, small quantities of Brown Tiger Prawns have been landed from the North Coast Prawn Managed Fisheries (WA), which is comprised of the Onslow, Nickol Bay, Broome and Kimberley Prawn Managed Fisheries. This species is only a key target species in one of these fisheries, the Onslow Prawn Managed Fishery, which is directly adjacent to the Exmouth Gulf Prawn Managed Fishery. Assessment for Brown Tiger Prawns in the North Coast Prawn Managed Fisheries is primarily based on comparing annual catches to a target catch range, as an indicator of fishery performance and for evaluating if the stock is likely to be subjected to overfishing. When an annual catch falls outside this target catch range, a review is undertaken. In 2022, all the North Coast Prawn Managed Fisheries combined landed 16.6 t of Brown Tiger Prawns [Newman et al. 2023]. The fishing effort in the Kimberley and Nickol Bay Prawn Managed Fisheries is primarily directed towards Banana Prawns. The overall annual mean fleet effort for both these fisheries was lower in 2022 compared with recent years, which in turn is expected to have resulted in a decreased level of effort on Brown Tiger Prawns. The overall annual mean fleet effort in the Nickol Bay Prawn Managed Fishery has reduced since 2007, with 700 boat days fished annually between 1990 and 2005, compared to only 62 boat days in 2022. In the Kimberley, the number of operators actively fishing each year has declined from around 20–50 boats (resulting in over 1,000 boat days fished annually) in the 1990s and early 2000s to less than 15 boats since 2009 (less than 600 annual boat days), with only 290 boat days fished in 2022. Only one vessel fished in the Onslow Prawn Managed Fishery in 2022. The above evidence indicates the biomass of this management unit is unlikely to be depleted and recruitment is unlikely to be impaired. Furthermore, the current level of fishing mortality is unlikely to cause the management unit to become depleted.  

On the basis of the evidence provided above, the North Coast Prawn Managed Fisheries (Western Australia) Brown Tiger Prawn management unit is classified as a sustainable stock. 

Shark Bay Prawn Managed Fishery (Brown Tiger Prawn)

The status of Brown Tiger Prawn stocks in WA is assessed annually using fishery-independent biomass and recruitment surveys and a weight-of-evidence approach that considers a range of relevant information [Wise et al. 2007]. The assessment approach is primarily based on monitoring of fishery-independent indices (survey catch rates) of recruitment and spawning stock levels relative to specified reference points [DPIRD 2022]. Fishery independent pre-season surveys provide an index of annual recruitment that is used for predicting annual Brown Tiger Prawn catches in the fishing season for that year. Other information collected throughout the season (e.g., commercial catches, effort, and environmental data) are also evaluated to provide insights into operational factors that might affect fishery performance, or spawning stock and environmental factors affecting prawn recruitment [Kangas et al. 2015].

Commercial CPUE data are used as an additional indicator of abundance, to monitor changes in stock levels from year-to-year. The annual commercial catches and catch rates are compared with associated reference points, based on the average catch and catch rate from 1989–98, a period when the fishery was considered sustainable following a stock recovery [Newman et al. 2023].

Key management objectives for Brown Tiger Prawns are to maintain adequate spawning stock and recruitment levels. Brown Tiger Prawns are managed to remain above a target catch rate level [DPIRD 2022]. Management responses in the form of either a review of season/management arrangements if catch rates are at, or below, a threshold reference level, or changes to management arrangements if catch rates are at, or below, the limit reference level. These reference levels are informed by a spawning stock–recruitment relationship for this species and biomass dynamics modelling [Caputi 1993; Caputi et al. 1998; Penn et al. 1995; Newman et al. 2023]. A mandatory closure of the Brown Tiger Prawn northern spawning area (NCPL) is also enforced from June onwards to protect the spawning stock. Once fishing ceases, fishery-independent surveys are conducted to verify catch rates in the closed northern and southern (open) spawning areas.

In June 2022, the spawning survey catch rate for Brown Tiger Prawns in the NCPL, when it had closed to fishing for the remainder of the season, was 21.7 kg/hr. In July, the survey catch rate decreased to 19.5 kg/hr, and in August it remained at a similar level (18.0 kg/hr).  The Brown Tiger Prawn spawning stock levels in the NCPL were therefore below the target reference level of ≥ 25 kg/hr between June and August (mean 20.6 kg/hr). The above survey results thus indicate that the biomass of this species within this management unit in 2022 had been depleted. However, as 2022 is the first year since 2016 that survey results have been below the target reference level, it is considered unlikely that recruitment has been impaired due to effects of fishing on spawning stock levels, but rather the lower biomass likely reflects annual recruitment variation.

Annual Brown Tiger Prawn catches are compared against a target catch range (400–700 t) based on catches from 1989–1998 (a period when the fishery was considered sustainable) and a catch prediction range (390–585 t), based on the relationship between annual catches and recruitment surveys. For 2022, the Brown Tiger Prawn catch was 326 t, which was below the lower end of the catch prediction range and also below the annual target catch range [Newman et al. 2023; Caputi et al. 2014b].

The level of annual fishing effort since 2007, when all boats adopted four standardised nets (quad gear), has been between 33 to 41 thousand trawl hours (standardized to twin nets). In 2022, fishing effort was 28 thousand trawl hours, the lowest effort recorded for the fishery in several decades. This was in part due to a 35% reduction in allocated fishing days and additional spatial trawl closures to manage stock issues. The initial fishing season was set for 125 fishing nights, however, after both the April and June reviews, additional moon closure days were added, reducing the total effort available to 114 nights. Furthermore, a number of management measures, including a reduction in allowable effort, have been introduced for the 2023 season to reduce fishing pressure on the Western King Prawn stock. These measures will also provide additional protection for Brown Tiger Prawns.

The combined evidence above indicates that the current level of fishing pressure is unlikely to cause the stock in Shark Bay to become depleted, and that due to the implementation of additional management measures, future levels of fishing pressure will be lower, further protecting Brown Tiger Prawns (and Western King Prawns) against impaired recruitment.

On the basis of the evidence provided above, the stock within the Shark Bay Prawn Managed Fishery (Western Australia) Brown Tiger Prawn management unit is classified as a sustainable stock.

Brown and Grooved Tiger Prawn biology [Somers 1987; Yearsley et al. 1999; Kangas et al. 2015]

Distribution of reported commercial catch of Tiger Prawns

Commonwealth – Recreational. The Australian Government does not manage recreational fishing in Commonwealth waters. Recreational fishing in Commonwealth waters is managed by the state or territory immediately adjacent to those waters, under its management regulations.

Commonwealth – Indigenous. The Australian Government does not manage non-commercial Indigenous fishing in Commonwealth waters, with the exception of the Torres Strait. In general, non-commercial Indigenous fishing in Commonwealth waters is managed by the state 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); the 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.

Queensland – Indigenous (Management Methods). For more information see Traditional fishing | Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland (www.daf.qld.gov.au)

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