Millions Of Prawns For Nsw Lakes

[mrmoshe]

Millions of prawns for NSW lakes

UP to four million prawns will be stocked in two NSW lakes to boost Australia's annual harvest.

The juvenile Eastern King prawns will be put into Wallagoot and Back lakes on the state's far-south coast next week.

The stockings are part of a three-year program by the NSW government to boost stocks for the lakes.

"NSW has a large recreational prawn fishery but the life cycle of prawns in the (two lakes) is usually disrupted because these estuaries are only open to the ocean for limited periods," NSW Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said.

"Good rains are also needed to flush prawns out to sea to spawn.

"Introducing stock will help boost numbers in these popular fishing areas."

More than 18 million prawns are harvested annually by recreational fishermen in Australia - 65 per cent in NSW.

And the Eastern King prawn accounts for 83 per cent of all recreational catches.

The juveniles are 15mm long and will be placed into seagrass areas at night to protect them from predators since they are near the bottom of the fish food chain.

They will be harvested when they reach 50mm in length.

Monthly sampling of the prawns will take place and funds raised from the sale of recreational fishing licences will be spent on other fishing projects.