Banana
prawns and other complimentary species are being studied
as a means of generating new cash crops while cleaning up
wastes from aquaculture prawn farms in Queensland.
Fisheries
biologist with the Agency for Food and Fibre Sciences,
Paul Palmer said that a Natural Heritage Trust program
‘Coast and Clean Seas’ was funding a project called
“Reducing Nutrient Discharge from Existing Prawn Farms”.
“We have
recorded some interesting results to date from the project
which is studying the feasibility of producing a crop of
banana prawns in aquaculture settlement ponds to boost
farm profitability and help remove nutrients from waste
water.”
“Five
prawn farms involved in the project had their settlement
ponds stocked with banana prawns which were not directly
fed and information was then collected on their growth
rates, survival and final yields. The prawns remained in
the ponds from 160 to 212 days and researchers found that
survival rates ranged from 12 to 60 percent.” Mr Palmer
said.
He said
the impact of banana prawns on nutrients in discharge
water was monitored on one farm by comparing both the
inlet and outlet water. Results received over the
monitoring period found that while the prawns grew very
quickly in the treatment pond without direct feeding there
was little effect on the levels of nutrients. Mr palmer
said while the reduced impact on nutrient levels was
disappointing it may be because of the low prawn stocking
densities used in the settlement pond trial .
He said
prawns harvested from these settlement ponds were
subjected to taste testing by the DPI’s Centre for Food
Technology at Hamilton and no significant differences in
control groups of prawns were found.
Further information Dr Paul Palmer
3400 2000
Media Officer: Mark
Dawson 07 5430 4951, mob 0407 756 859
Department of Primary Industries Media Unit
PO Box 5165 Sunshine Coast Mail Centre 4560.
Ph 07 5430 4911 Fax 07 5430 4994
DPI Call Centre 8am-6pm weekdays on local call 13 25 23
QUEENSLAND DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY
INDUSTRIES
http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au
