Western School Prawn successfully cultured

A team of Western Australian scientists have achieved a world-first by successfully culturing the Western School Prawn.

  • WA scientists culture Western School Prawns in world-first

  • Large numbers of juvenile prawns expected to be released in the Swan River during April 2014

A team of Western Australian scientists have achieved a world-first by successfully culturing the Western School Prawn.

Fisheries Minister Troy Buswell and Environment Minister Albert Jacob said the breakthrough represented a first step towards restocking Perth's rivers with Western School Prawns.

The Ministers congratulated the project's partners - the Department of Fisheries, Swan River Trust, Challenger Institute of Technology, Murdoch University, Recfishwest and WA Fish Foundation.

The culturing process involved collecting wild female prawns carrying eggs from the river. These females were kept in tanks and allowed to spawn naturally and the hatched larvae were grown out.

"Fishing for Western School Prawns in our rivers is part of Perth's fishing folklore and the recent breakthrough is a promising sign for the future prawn population in our rivers," Mr Jacob said.

"The fact that we can now grow Western School Prawns is the first step towards a river prawn restocking program and researchers are confident of introducing large numbers of juvenile prawns into the Swan River by April 2014."

Mr Buswell said this was the first time Western School Prawns (Metapenaeus dalli) had been cultured anywhere in the world and researchers had learnt a lot along the way.

"The research team had to overcome major hurdles such as sourcing prawn brood stock from the river in a narrow time frame and working with comparatively small prawns and tiny juveniles," he said.

"Following the release of juvenile prawns back into the Swan River in April next year they will be monitored as part of this pilot program."

          Fact File

  • Western School Prawn is a small elongated prawn up to 190mm total length. Uniform grey colour, big eyes, rostrum extended beyond eyes, long and flexible antennae

  • Number of Western School Prawns in Swan and Canning rivers has declined since the 1950s

Fisheries Minister's office - 6552 6400

Environment Minister's office - 6552 5800