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Banana prawns are found across northern Australia, from WA to QLD. They are sustainable across all jurisdictions. Harvests are highly dependent on seasonal conditions, which influence prawn populations from year to year.

 In Australia the standard fish name Banana Prawn is a group name which refers to the White Banana Prawn, Penaeus merguiensis and the Redleg Banana Prawn, Penaeus indicus. Both species have also been placed in the genus Fenneropenaeus with taxonomy still unsettled [Ferfante and Kensley 1997; Ma et al. 2011; Vance and Rothlisberg 2020 and name usage is mixed among fisheries. White and Redleg banana prawns are often not distinguished in the catch in Australian fisheries. An exception to this is the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf area of the Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF), where populations of Redleg banana prawns are specifically targeted. The biological stock structure of Banana Prawn is uncertain. There is some evidence that there may be separate biological stocks of White Banana Prawn within the Northern Prawn Fishery (Commonwealth); however, the boundaries of the biological stocks are unknown [Yearsley et al. 1999]. Banana Prawn fisheries in Western Australia and Queensland are widely separated, but it is not known whether these are completely independent stocks [Tanimoto et al. 2006].

Here, assessment of stock status for Banana Prawns is presented at the management unit level—Northern Prawn Fishery (Commonwealth); Exmouth Gulf Prawn Managed Fishery, Nickol Bay and Onslow Prawn Managed Fisheries, Kimberley Prawn Managed Fishery (Western Australia); and East Coast (Queensland).

Northern Prawn Fishery

Two species of Banana Prawns are managed in the Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF) (Commonwealth) (White Banana Prawn—Penaeus merguiensis and Redleg Banana Prawn—Penaeus indicus). Here, we report on White Banana Prawn, which makes up the bulk of Banana Prawn catch in the NPF.  

Recruitment of Banana Prawns in the NPF is highly variable. Annual yields are largely dependent on annual recruitment, which has a complex association with seasonal rainfall, oceanographic conditions and food availability [van der Velde et al. 2021; Turschwell et al. 2022]. As a result, a reliable stock–recruitment relationship has not been established and no formal stock assessment has been conducted for this stock. Status determination is based on a weight-of-evidence approach.

To determine whether next year’s catch could be predicted based on the most recent wet-season rainfall, the relationship between historical catch and rainfall was modelled. Unfortunately, large uncertainties remained because the model could not accurately predict catch levels in some years [Buckworth et al. 2013].

Harvest rates for White Banana Prawn in the fishery are high (more than 90% of available biomass) in some years [Buckworth et al. 2013], but the stock has so far been resilient to these levels of fishing pressure.

The harvest strategy for White Banana Prawns in the NPF is designed to perform effectively under conditions of substantial variation in biomass. The strategy facilitates the capture of larger, higher value prawns, while allowing for sufficient escapement to ensure adequate remaining spawning biomass, thereby preventing growth and recruitment overfishing. These goals are achieved by controlling the timing of the fishing season (which impacts prawn size) and the length of the season, the end of which is determined using in-season catch-rate thresholds [Dichmont et al. 2014]. Harvesting has been undertaken in accordance with this harvest strategy for almost a decade. During this period, White Banana Prawn annual recruitment (as evidenced by catches) has been maintained and continued a pattern of high natural variability from year-to-year.

Total reported commercial landings of White Banana Prawns were 3,115 t in 2021 and 2,760 t in 2020 [Butler et al. 2022], with average catch around 3,995 t for the years 2012 to 2021. Consistency in landings indicates that the biomass of this stock is unlikely to be depleted and that recruitment is unlikely to be impaired.

Effort expended on Banana Prawns (including minor targeting of P. indicus) in the Northern Prawn Fishery was 2,454 days in 2021 (1,886 days in 2020) across 52 vessels. This is slightly below the average for the most recent decade (approximately 2,600 days, with similar fleet size), and substantially below effort in previous decades which were well in excess of 4,000 days, but with a substantially larger fleet.

The above evidence indicates that the current level of fishing mortality is unlikely to cause the stock to become recruitment impaired.

On the basis of the evidence provided above, the Northern Prawn Fishery (Commonwealth) management unit is classified as a sustainable stock.

Banana Prawn biology [Huber 2003; Tanimoto et al. 2006; Yearsley et al. 1999]

Distribution of reported commercial catch of BANANA PRAWNS.

Confidentiality prevents the display of spatial data for some fisheries.

Commonwealth – Commercial catch. Catch is for calendar year 2021. Commercial catch in the NPF is only for White Banana Prawns (P. merguiensis).

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.

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

Queensland.ueensland vailable through the Queensland Fisheries Summary Report https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries/monitoring-research/data/queensland-fisheries-summary-report. 

Queensland – Commercial (Management Methods) Harvest strategies available at: https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries/sustainable/harvest-strategy. 

Commercial catch of BANANA PRAWNS - note confidential catch not shown.

Commonwealth Northern Prawn Fishery catch is for White Banana Prawns (P. merguiensis) only.

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