In order to provide for future growth of the Australian prawn aquaculture industry, there is a need to take a longer-term strategic view and develop production technology for alternative species that can support an export market but do not have the intense overseas competition of the current major species, P. monodon. This research project addresses the need for feasibility studies on farm production of an additional species that could be profitable in new or existing markets.

The strategic objective is to build on our current information to develop and test techniques for growing P. esculentus in a farm environment, and to quantify the commercial suitability of this species. The project is structured to demonstrate the growout and market potential of the species in pilot trials, to further develop and test an appropriate growout diet, to develop closed life cycle reproduction for future selective breeding and to evaluate the cost benefit of production of P. esculentus. The project commences the development of technology and assesses the potential for P. esculentus to become an additional species for Australian farm production.