qld.gov.au
Department of Primary Industries

Species

  • Eastern king prawn (Penaeus plebejus)

Fish stock status

Although a species may be classified as sustainable under the Status of Australian Fish Stocks (SAFS) framework, this does not mean that the stock is meeting Queensland targets under the harvest strategy.

Stock20232020201820162014
Eastern Australian Sustainable Sustainable Sustainable Sustainable Sustainable

Stock assessment

The 2026 stock assessment used current biological data, commercial catch data, commercial length frequency data and commercial size grading data to:

  • determine the status of the fish stock
  • inform application of the trawl fishery (southern offshore A and B regions) harvest strategy
  • inform management decisions.

This assessment estimated that the number of eastern king prawn (biomass) in 2024 was between 54% and 88% of unfished levels, and most likely around 72%.

This was the fourth stock assessment for east coast eastern king prawn.

Previous reports:

Difference from previous assessment

The methodology used in the 2026 assessment included the following updates:

  • The membership of the project team that guided the assessment was expanded to include a fishery stakeholder and an independent fishery scientist from Western Australia Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
  • Five additional years of catch, effort and length data was used.
  • Line trawling was incorporated into the calculation of fishing power based on vessel tracking data.
  • Fishing power was updated using gear data now directly accessible from both the New South Wales and Queensland logbook gear databases.

Biomass estimates and key management actions

Spawning biomass ratio by fishing year, relative to the unfished level in 1958. 95% confidence intervals are shown. The model predicted that historical eastern king prawn spawning biomass declined to roughly 49% (43–57% confidence interval) in 1984, steadily increased to 57% (44–68% confidence interval) in 2019, and increased to 72% in 2024 (54–88% confidence interval). The biomass ratios have shown greater fluctuations since 2000.
Chart of Australian east coast stock assessment biomass estimates and key management actions for eastern king prawn.

Estimated retained catch from 1958 to 2024

Eastern king prawn total retained annual catch from New South Wales and Queensland waters. The annual catches increased consistently from 1958, reaching an initial peak of 3,580 tonnes in 2003. Following this, catches fluctuated, with notable peaks exceeding 3,500 tonnes in 2017 and 2023. Over the last five years the total retained catch averaged 3,108 tonnes per year.
Chart of estimated retained catch for New South Wales and Queensland east coast eastern king prawn from 1958 to 2024.

Monitoring

Map showing locations where Eastern king prawn stock is monitored in Queensland.
Eastern king prawn stock monitoring areas.

Fisheries Queensland collected information on eastern king prawns through an annual Fishery Independent Beam Trawl (FIBT) survey between 2006 and 2022.

The FIBT survey was conducted in key juvenile eastern king prawn habitats in southern Queensland waters during the peak recruitment period for the species (November and December).

Locations open to commercial fishing, as well as areas that are not fished regularly by the commercial trawl fleet, were included in the survey.

The FIBT survey sampled prawns before they were available to be caught by the commercial trawl fleet.

The index of abundance of recruit eastern king prawns produced by the survey was combined with other available fishery data to assess the status of the stock annually.

Survey results were used in the Biological and Economic Management Strategy Evaluations of the Eastern King Prawn Fishery.

Carapace length

Length compositions of eastern king prawn aggregated across time for the Queensland fishery independent beam trawl survey in Moreton Bay. The fishery independent length frequency data had a smaller size range of prawns from 5–40 mm carapace length.
Length frequency of prawns.

Length compositions of eastern king prawn aggregated across time for the Queensland fishery independent beam trawl survey in Moreton Bay.

The fishery independent length frequency data had a smaller size range of prawns from 5–40 mm carapace length.

Prawns ranged from 6mm carapace length (CL) to 65mm CL, with the mode at 18mm CL.

More than 90% of prawns caught were between 10mm and 30mm CL.

Ecological risk assessment

Assessed in the:

Management

Last updated: 14 Jul 2026