Last night we were very humbled that our Skull Island Tiger Prawns took out the “From the Sea” award category at the national Delicious Produce Awards 2015 in Sydney.
Some of Australia’s most renowned chefs and food industry leaders joined the delicious. team at this annual ceremony. The awards are designed to celebrate the country’s most outstanding ingredients, inspiring small and sustainable producers, farmers’ markets, innovators, regional chefs and more.
The awards were judged by a panel of national judges, an expert panel, a critics panel and state judges. National judges included Maggie Beer, Shannon Bennett, Guillaume Brahimi, Christine Manfield, Matt Moran and Alla Wolf-Tasker – most of whom were present at the event.
Austral would like to congratulate the other award winners and finalists, and the Delicious team for putting on the event. A big thank you also needs to go to our crew who work tirelessly to ensure all of our Skull Island Tiger Prawns meet the high quality standards that are expected by the Australian consumer.
Austral’s Glacier 51 Toothfish was also one of the finalists in the “From the Sea” category.
Background
THE PRAWN
Measuring up to 26cm in length and weighing 100 grams per prawn, the Skull Island Wild Tiger Prawns are the largest wild caught prawns in Australia. These juicy giants of the prawn underworld are truly king on the plate. Characteristic Tiger stripes, striking fluorescent purple tails and their sheer size are matched by the sweet, succulent flesh.
THE FISHING
The fishery extends from the low water mark to the outer edge of the Australian fishing zone. Its eastern extremity lies at Cape York in Queensland and stretches west to Cape Londonderry in Western Australia. 52 vessels are licensed to operate in the MSC certified Northern Prawn Fishery, which covers approximately 880,000 square kilometres.
THE PROCESSING
The Skull Island Wild Tiger Prawns are hand sorted for size and quality immediately after harvesting and snap frozen on board the fishing vessel – ensuring you receive only the highest quality prawns when you choose Skull Island Tiger Prawns.
SUSTAINABILITY
Certified ‘sustainable’ by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), Skull Island tiger prawns are the world’s first certified sustainable tropical prawn. They are only caught during the months of August to November each year, and only caught during the night to ensure minimal impact on bycatch. The remainder of the year is closed to fishing to ensure juvenile tiger prawns have ample time to grow into adults and reproduce.