Research into the prawn industry has revealed limitations in the supply chain and areas for improvement in a bid to open new consumer markets.
David Byrom, of the University of the Sunshine Coast, has investigated the management of the supply chain for fresh prawns harvested from the Moreton Bay fishery.
“There is an abundance of beautiful, fresh seafood on the doorstep of Brisbane, particularly the Bay prawns, yet there are problems with supply and demand,” Byrom said.
“Seventy-two percent of seafood consumed in Australia is imported, so it’s not a pretty picture for local fishers,” he said.
He interviewed Moreton Bay fishers, wholesalers and retailers to explore three key supply chain links – product flow, information flow and relationships – and found issues in all three.
“The biggest barrier I found was a lack of collaboration between the groups and within the groups.”
The research found widely varying perceptions about what consumers wanted.
“Some thought ‘fresh or frozen’ was a buyer’s biggest priority,” he said. “Some thought it was the quality or size of the prawn. Others thought that cost was everything.”
Byrom recommended further research to explore ways to improve supply chain management, such as through promotion, branding and species quality control, to ultimately make the industry more profitable.
His USC studies are part of an Australian Seafood Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) national prawn research project.