At a glance

The Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF) is located off Australia’s northern coast, and extends from the low water mark to the outer edge of the Australian fishing zone (AFZ) in the area between Cape York in Queensland and Cape Londonderry in Western Australia.

At a glance
Target Species: The Fishery targets nine commercial species of prawns including White Banana (Fenneropenaeus merguiensis), Red-legged Banana (F. indicus), Brown Tiger (Penaeus esculentus), Grooved Tiger (P. semisulcatus), Blue Endeavour (Metapenaeus endeavouri), and Red Endeavour (M. ensis). Scampi, squid, scallops and bugs are also taken.
Number of Statutory Fishing Right (SFR) owners
  • 48 (Gear SFR Owners)
  • 24 (Boat SFR Owners)
Number of Boat SFRs available as of June 2010 52
State of the Resource Banana Prawns – not overfished
Brown Tiger Prawns – not overfished
Grooved Tiger Prawns – not overfished
Other species – uncertain (BRS, 2008)
Estimated prawn catch (tonnes) 2008-09
Banana Prawns: 5,495
Tiger Prawns: 1,013
Endeavour Prawns: 214

2007-08
Banana Prawns: 5,752
Tiger Prawns: 1,234
Endeavour Prawns: 199

2006-07
Banana Prawns: 2,674
Tiger Prawns: 1,834
Endeavour Prawns: 356
Estimated value of production 2008-09 = $73 million
Principal fishing method Otter Trawling
Consultation and Communication The Northern Prawn Trawl Fishery Management Advisory Committee (NORMAC) is the principal forum where issues relating to the Fishery are discussed.
Management arrangements The Fishery is managed through a combination of input controls (limited entry, seasonal closures, permanent area closures, gear restrictions and operational controls) which are implemented under the Northern Prawn Fishery Management Plan 1995 (the Management Plan).

The Management Plan also provides for the grant of fully transferable Statutory Fishing Rights (SFRs) that determine the number of trawlers that may operate and the amount of gear used in the Fishery.
Environmental management The fishery is managed in response to the AFMA objective of ensuring the utilisation of the fishery resource is consistent with the principles of ecologically sustainable development and the exercising of the precautionary principle. To effect this, AFMA has developed a number of management arrangements and guidelines. These include:

  • The development and implementation of the Northern Prawn Fishery Management Plan (1995) which implements various fishery effort, target species and bycatch species limits. This plan has recently been accredited under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999). This accreditation acknowledges that the fishery’s actions will not have unacceptable or unsustainable impacts on the environment.
  • The Northern Prawn Fishery Bycatch and Discarding Workplan, 1 July 2009 – 30 June 2011 (191kb) which provides guidelines and regulations to;
  • Eliminate, to the greatest extent feasible, the catch of large animals such as turtles, sharks and stingrays, other protected species and other species where the take may not be sustainable
  • Reduce the overall amount of bycatch in the fishery
  • Provide protection for areas that are important habitat for vulnerable species of marine life
  • The development and implementation of Turtle Exclusion Devices (TEDs) to the fishery – this has decreased the catch of turtles and large marine animals (rays and sharks) significantly in the fishery. The fishery has been accredited by the United States as ‘compliant’ under their stringent turtle guidelines. As such prawns from the NPF are allowed to be imported into the US.
  • The development and implementation of Bycatch Reduction Devices into the fishery. These are intended to reduce the bycatch of unwanted fish and crustacea species.
  • Ecological Risk Management
  • Northern Prawn Fishery Strategic Assessment Report
  • The Industry Code of Practice (7.4MB)
  • The development and implementation of educational programs to inform skippers and crews of environmental and fishery issues. These are implemented via pre-season skipper briefings and the Crew Member Observer Program.