Early arrival of prawns a Christmas gift for communities that have been through storms, floods and fires

Word spreads fast in towns like Lakes Entrance.

No sooner had a local prawn fisherman dropped off the first catch of the season than the town’s seafood co-op was inundated with folks eager to snap them up.

Pamela and Edward Hare took home 3 kilograms of the Gippsland prawns, which had been flash frozen on site just hours earlier.

They weren’t going to miss the chance to have their favourite local delicacy on the table for Christmas lunch.

The prawns were a welcome surprise for this time of year — they normally don’t make an appearance until February.

Prawns before their time

The crustaceans begin life in the inlets that define the Gippsland Lakes region before swimming out to sea in late summer.

However, recent flooding rains washed them out to sea a couple of months early, according to Lakes Entrance Fishermen’s Co-op general manager Anthony Woodland.

“We got a surprise this morning; one of our local prawn fishermen dropped off 100 kilos of local prawns, which is very rare this time of year,” he said.

The early arrival of the eastern king prawns has thrilled locals, who regularly ask when they are going to “come on”.

“We’ve made sure that we advertised early to our local residents, and they’re flying out the doors,” Mr Woodland says.

“They are a very popular treat for the locals, so the sooner they get on, the better for them.

“Getting on just before Christmas is going to be great, for locals having local prawns on their table for lunch and dinner, it’s very exciting for them.”

Mr Woodland said prawn season might not go as late as usual, but they were expected to stick around for the next few months.

Welcome relief

The December floods were just one in a list of disasters that have hit the region over the past few months.

A hailstorm last week pelted vegie crops and homes, while bushfires in October were quickly followed by torrential rains that caused widespread flooding.

A break in the weather and the appearance of the treasured prawns have brought a moment of relief.

“It was really concerning over October; we had everything going against us — we had really poor weather, and the fishing was poor,” Mr Woodland said.

“We were biting our nails and worrying how we were going to be able to provide seafood not just for the locals but all the restaurants and businesses that we supply around Gippsland.

“But, as soon as it came to November, the water’s heated up and the fishing this first couple of weeks of December has just been incredible.”

Seafood for all

Seafood and fish are staples of Australian Christmas meals. Oysters, crayfish and prawns top the list for eastern Victorians.

For many families struggling to make ends meet, however, these favourites may be out of reach.

But there are affordable seafood options for those shopping on a budget, Mr Woodland said.

“We’ve put in crumbed products — squid, fish cakes, things like that — that people can afford, especially our locals,” he says.

“For anyone going into a seafood shop, ask the people behind the counter what they believe is a good-tasting fish.

“There’s plenty of different tasting fish out there, and there’s a lot of good quality fish that are probably underrated.”