Last Christmas, bad weather kept the Australian prawn fishing fleet dockside. This year the weather has been more favourable. “We had 150 tonne (of fresh, wild-caught prawns) last year. We are estimating about a 20-tonne increase,” Ms [Louise Nock] said.

Paul Higginbottom, from Mooloolaba on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, has been fishing for 30 years and said there were more regulations now, but stocks were up. “It has been one of the better seasons. The catch has been good, fuel and our input costs are down a little bit.”

“Seafood was the biggest thing years ago, now people have come back,” he said. “We have been here since 1985 and we have been increasing every year, both volume of product and turnover.”

AUSTRALIA’S favourite Christmas seafood, prawns, are expected to sell in record quantities this year thanks to good weather and plentiful stocks in coastal waters.

At the nation’s biggest seafood vendor, the Sydney Fish Market, the prawn rush is already on.

Prices range from $15/kg for farmed Vannamei prawns from Thailand to $40/kg for cooked large king prawns, wild caught inAustralian waters, arguably the best prawns money can buy.

Louise Nock, from the Sydney Fish Market, said this time of year prawns were the top seller: “In terms of volume, it is definitely themost popular product at Christmas time.”

Last Christmas, bad weather kept the Australian prawn fishing fleet dockside. This year the weather has been more favourable. “We had 150 tonne (of fresh, wild-caught prawns) last year. We are estimating about a 20-tonne increase,” Ms Nock said.

This year, the Australian Prawn Farmers Association estimates total Australian prawn consumption will be 45,000 tonnes, with more than 20,000 tonnes imported, a further 20,000 plus tonnes wild caught and about 4000 tonnes farmed.

Paul Higginbottom, from Mooloolaba on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, has been fishing for 30 years and said there were more regulations now, but stocks were up. “It has been one of the better seasons. The catch has been good, fuel and our input costs are down a little bit.”

Mr Higginbottom fishes overnight, catching small, medium and large Mooloolaba king prawns, which would sell for up to $35/kg when they are shipped to the Sydney market.

As soon as he comes in at about 7.30am, the prawns are iced and packed into trucks. This morning’s catch will be at Sydney Fish Market for the longest trading day that begins at 5am tomorrow and ends at 5pm on Christmas Eve.

At Sydney Fish Market, co-owner and manager of Claudio’s Seafoods, Greg Imisdes, said trade had been building up for the past fortnight with the office party season, and was on track to be better than last year.

“Seafood was the biggest thing years ago, now people have come back,” he said. “We have been here since 1985 and we have been increasing every year, both volume of product and turnover.”

In the days before Christmas, the usual display of fish is reorganised to capitalise on the biggest week of the year for prawns. Trade in the week of Christmas is the same as the total June and July trade for many retailers.

Credit: Asa Wahlquist, John Stapleton