queensland Why Don't Australian's Eat The Giant River Shrimp; Macrobrachium Rosenbergii ?

[fishingnewb101]

Hello guys, 

I was just wondering, why don't I see people eating the giant river prawn - Macrobrachium rosenbergii - in Australia?

I mean, it's a delicacy in the East Asia region, but why aren't people in Australia eating them. The most common prawn I see people eating is the tiger prawn, why? Does it taste better??

Thank you if you take the time to answer, but I am just down right curious as to why people don't eat the as much and only eat the tiger prawns.

*Please note that I do know there are still people eating them, just not a popular option. And I want to know why.*

[Old Scaley]

Are you asking because you would like to import them into Australia?  As far as I know, they do not live here naturally, although they might be in some rivers right up north. I have eaten them in Asia and they were delicious, just like most food in Asia, but more because of how they were cooked rather than how they taste on their own.  Not sure they could compete with nice fresh salt water prawns. Personally I don’t support importing uncooked prawns from Asia. We have seen the results of that here recently with white spot wiping out local prawn farms near the Gold Coast.  Same goes for farming non-native species - who knows what damage they could do in wild rivers here.

Hope that helps.

[Drop Bear]

I have eaten a fair few when we did a trip around Aust. The are known locally as cherebin. They were delicious.

It is a good question. Do they farm them over seas? 

[Drop Bear]

They seem a logical prawn to farm here too. 

 

[Drop Bear]

2 hours ago, Old Scaley said:

Are you asking because you would like to import them into Australia?  As far as I know, they do not live here naturally, although they might be in some rivers right up north. I have eaten them in Asia and they were delicious, just like most food in Asia, but more because of how they were cooked rather than how they taste on their own.  Not sure they could compete with nice fresh salt water prawns. Personally I don’t support importing uncooked prawns from Asia. We have seen the results of that here recently with white spot wiping out local prawn farms near the Gold Coast.  Same goes for farming non-native species - who knows what damage they could do in wild rivers here.

Hope that helps.

Hey mate,

They are quite common in northern and central waterways. We caught a stack in the NT about 12 years ago. 

[Old Scaley]

1 hour ago, Drop Bear said:

I have eaten a fair few when we did a trip around Aust. The are known locally as cherebin. They were delicious.

It is a good question. Do they farm them over seas? 

Hey @Drop Bear, since adding a post to this topic I started searching for info about freshwater prawn farming, just out of interest. Very interesting reading about farming techniques for both salt water and freshwater prawns in different regions, and what gets farmed where. The cherabin is actually the same genus (Macrobrachium) but different species (spinipes) to that referred to by the original poster, but hey, as they say in Asia “ same same but different”.  About 280,000 tonnes of freshwater prawns are farmed globally each year, compared to about 1,600,000 tonnes of salt water prawns. There have been a number of attempts to farm cherabins in Australia but none have been commercially successful from the reading I have done.

Based on what I have read, I would now support farming of the native species if that was possible, but not importing raw product from another country, although that is probably illegal now anyway.

By the way, Robbie, it did not surprise me to read that you thought cherabin were delicious since I have heard you say that about pretty much anything that comes from the water.  And you are a good chef who could make a tasty meal out of an old boot.

[Drop Bear]

14 minutes ago, Old Scaley said:

By the way, Robbie, it did not surprise me to read that you thought cherabin were delicious since I have heard you say that about pretty much anything that comes from the water.  And you are a good chef who could make a tasty meal out of an old boot.

haha yes I eat most things that come out of the sea haha. Great info there mate. When  do you get back? 

[Luc53]

Pilot project underway in WA.

http://www.aquafeed.com/news/headline-news-article/8001/Australia-government-invests-in-Macrobrachium-rosenbergii-production-in-Northern-Australia/

[Old Scaley]

33 minutes ago, Drop Bear said:

haha yes I eat most things that come out of the sea haha. Great info there mate. When  do you get back? 

Yesterday Robbie.  Resting up a bit today but keen to get out on the water soon.

[fishingnewb101]

9 hours ago, Drop Bear said:

I have eaten a fair few when we did a trip around Aust. The are known locally as cherebin. They were delicious.

It is a good question. Do they farm them over seas? 

Yea, back in Taiwan, these river prawns are seen farmed in the middle hotter regions; eventually it became a subcategory of fishing and became an activity called prawn fishing, its basically a pond with these prawns where parents can take their kids to have some fun indoors without the fuss of UV rays et cetera, then they can cook it on the stove near by. I love it, and I go almost everyday if I get a chance to go back; but yea, appreciate the response tho.

[fishingnewb101]

7 hours ago, Old Scaley said:

Hey @Drop Bear, since adding a post to this topic I started searching for info about freshwater prawn farming, just out of interest. Very interesting reading about farming techniques for both salt water and freshwater prawns in different regions, and what gets farmed where. The cherabin is actually the same genus (Macrobrachium) but different species (spinipes) to that referred to by the original poster, but hey, as they say in Asia “ same same but different”.  About 280,000 tonnes of freshwater prawns are farmed globally each year, compared to about 1,600,000 tonnes of salt water prawns. There have been a number of attempts to farm cherabins in Australia but none have been commercially successful from the reading I have done.

Based on what I have read, I would now support farming of the native species if that was possible, but not importing raw product from another country, although that is probably illegal now anyway.

By the way, Robbie, it did not surprise me to read that you thought cherabin were delicious since I have heard you say that about pretty much anything that comes from the water.  And you are a good chef who could make a tasty meal out of an old boot.

Appreciate the response man! I never knew that it was a different species haha. And don't worry I will never do such thing to damage Australia's beautiful nature 

[fishingnewb101]

6 hours ago, Luc53 said:

Pilot project underway in WA.

http://www.aquafeed.com/news/headline-news-article/8001/Australia-government-invests-in-Macrobrachium-rosenbergii-production-in-Northern-Australia/

So I see. WA is trying to farm these prawns aye, but wouldn't it be too cold?? Appreciate the replies tho!

[Drop Bear]

9 hours ago, fishingnewb101 said:

Yea, back in Taiwan, these river prawns are seen farmed in the middle hotter regions; eventually it became a subcategory of fishing and became an activity called prawn fishing, its basically a pond with these prawns where parents can take their kids to have some fun indoors without the fuss of UV rays et cetera, then they can cook it on the stove near by. I love it, and I go almost everyday if I get a chance to go back; but yea, appreciate the response tho.

That is so cool. I'd love to do that.

[Drop Bear]

16 hours ago, Luc53 said:

Pilot project underway in WA.

http://www.aquafeed.com/news/headline-news-article/8001/Australia-government-invests-in-Macrobrachium-rosenbergii-production-in-Northern-Australia/

Very cool thanks for posting. 

[Drop Bear]

9 hours ago, fishingnewb101 said:

So I see. WA is trying to farm these prawns aye, but wouldn't it be too cold?? Appreciate the replies tho!

WA is a big place. Its pretty hot up there in broom. 

[Wildone]

I went to New Zealand last year, and just outside of Taupo they have the Huka Prawn farm, they breed them there in geothermal pools! Great eating them at the restaurant, you can catch your own as well and they will cook them for you.

 

[Drop Bear]

4 hours ago, Wildone said:

I went to New Zealand last year, and just outside of Taupo they have the Huka Prawn farm, they breed them there in geothermal pools! Great eating them at the restaurant, you can catch your own as well and they will cook them for you.

 

Bucket list. Thanks. 

[davostephens]

We get them in creeks and waterfalls in Cairns, They are a dark green color here. Then when you go over the range to say mitchell river they are the usual sort of prawn colur with blue nippers, they eat pretty well with bit of salt garlic and lemon. But they make top barra bait especialy when the water is cold.

See photo of one from creek behind my house, son catches them in trap, They like hotdogs. this one lost a nipper in a fight i guess. we let him go.

[Hoang]

Look like you got a female one.

[Bob9863]

I used to catch heaps of cherebin when I lived in Darwin. 

We would get a little drunk then go wandering knee deep up rivers at night with head torches catching them in nets. Not the safest thing to do but damn they are the best eating thing to come out of fresh water. 

Better even then the big mud crabs. 

[Junky]

It is slowly on the way

Australia is still only 4 standard generations old. 

 

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2019-10-22/cherabin-freshwater-prawn-farming-an-australian-first/11610826

 

The locals have been eating them since they got here thousands of years ago. 

 

 

Not bad on the chew the old cherabin however the fish you can potentially catch using one as a live bait is a much preferred upgrade imo.