Development of post- harvest handling technologies for the under-utilised cross-jurisdictional Royal Red Prawn fishery

Abstract

The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries led this research project on improving the post-harvest quality of prawns landed from the multi-jurisdictional Royal Red Prawn fishery.
The research team have studied the supply chain of Royal Red Prawns including the fishing operations, prawn handling and processing, and current market supply chains. The research team has also undertaken extensive sensory investigation to understand the specific sensory qualities of the Royal Red Prawn to better understand the potential of the species more broadly.
The research team determined that the Royal Red Prawn has a clear point of difference to the majority of current commercial species of prawns in Australia, and this point of difference is not being adequately exploited by the current supply chain for the prawn. The research team determined that these unique and distinctive qualities would be worth investigating further towards directing this prawn to the fine dining and food service sector specifically.