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Fish, Crustaceans & Cephalopods

Beche De Mer
(Sea Cucumber)

School prawns have very few or no hairy patches on their body and the telson has 4 pairs of conspicuous mobile spines.  Males bear a notch near the tip of the fifth walking leg.  Their colour is translucent with irregular brown or green spots (especially those living in estuaries) and the antennae are brown.

School prawns are endemic to waters off the east coast of Australia.  Postlarval to adolescent school prawns inhabit estuaries.  Adult school prawns can also be found in estuaries but are found predominantly in oceanic waters.

Juvenile school prawns prefer to live in seagrass areas within estuaries, although they are also present on bare substrates of fine to moderately coarse sand.  Adult school prawns are most abundant in turbid marine waters arising from estuarine discharge after heavy rainfall or river floods.

School prawns spawn between February and May in the sea off New South Wales in waters of about 40-55 metres depth.  School prawns live for about 12-18 months.   Research has shown that they may be migratory, moving along the coast in a northerly direction.  The longest recorded migrations by these prawns is 120km.   However most individuals stay within approximately 70km of the estuary from which they migrated.

School prawns are harvested commercially on grounds in offshore waters by demersal otter trawling, carried out predominantly during the day.  They are also caught by various other methods, including beam trawling, set pocket netting, hauling and seining or with running nets or dingo rigs.

The possibility of farming school prawns has been investigated and school prawns have been cultured in northern New South Wales for a number of years.

About for School Prawns:

Wild caught

Recovery Rate
Meat (not deveined): 46% of total weight

Sizes of Prawns
Prawns are graded according to the number of prawns per pound (445 grams) or per Kilo (1000gms)

U/10 = under 10 prawns per pound (extra large) (between 16 to 20 prawns to the Kilo)

10/20 = 10 to 20 prawns per pound (medium) (between 22 to 42 prawns to the kilo)

20/30 = 20 to30 prawns per pound (small to medium) (between 44 to 67 prawns to the kilo)

300/500 = 300 to 500 prawns per pound (extra small - shrimps) (between 675 to 1124 prawns to the kilo)

S & B = Soft and broken prawns - these are export 2nds due to slight damage or soft shell due to prawn malting just prior to capture.

Tips:- when comparing prices always compare by asking the count per pound - the lower the count the larger the size. The larger the size the higher the price

Cooking School Prawns:

School prawns are low-priced prawns. Cooked prawns are only slightly higher priced than uncooked prawns.

School prawns have a distinct taste that is sweeter than that of most other prawns. They are very well suited to many Asian dishes.

They are delicious eaten just on their own. They also make the best cocktails with a very light dressing or vinaigrette of a garlic, lemon or acid base to complement their sweetness. The marriage of flavours is subtle, so avoid combining strong or complex tastes with this mouth-watering morsel. Thai tongue-teasers of lime leaf, coriander, chilli, lemongrass and basil dressed with lime and vinegar will do it justice. Be careful not to overpower the flavour.

Deep fried, barbecued whole, or eaten shell-and-all with crisp-fried fresh basil leaves, school prawns provide for stunning presentation.

PRAWN RECIPES

Risotto with Squid Ink & Tiger Prawns	Fried Shrimp & Calamari	Rice and Squid with Prawns - Arroz de Lula	Italian Prosciutto Wrapped Prawns

Commercial Fishing for School Prawns:

School prawns are harvested commercially on grounds in offshore waters by demersal otter trawling, carried out predominantly during the day.  They are also caught by various other methods, including beam trawling, set pocket netting, hauling and seining or with running nets or dingo rigs.

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