Tiger prawn breeding and post-larvae production

Prawn larvae are produced in hatcheries, which use wild-caught spawners or broodstock collected mainly from the coastal waters between Cooktown and Innisfail.

The majority of these spawners are gonadally mature and when they are transferred to the hatchery they either spawn spontaneously or are induced through the use of eyestalk ablation.

Each spawner will produce between 200,000 and 500,000 eggs. The eggs are hatched and pass through a number of larval stages until they reach the post-larvae stage. The post-larvae are normally sold to the growout farms for stocking ponds when they are 15-20 days old. The quality of the post-larvae will vary between spawners and the time of the year the spawners are collected.

Also consider...

• You will need to discuss technical and licensing aspects of any proposed aquaculture venture with staff from Fisheries Queensland and the Department of Environment and Science before proceeding with site selection, design and, where applicable, land purchase.
• The Australian Prawn Farmers Association is a key contact for new farmers, investors and businesses looking to get involved in Queensland prawn farming.
• Download the Australian prawn farming manual for more information about prawn farming.
• Download the latest report to farmers for aquaculture industry statistics and production data.