In the Indo-West Pacific, banana prawns (Penaeus merguiensis) are distributed from the Persian Gulf to Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Indonesia to New Guinea, New Caledonia and northern Australia (Grey et al. 1983). In Australia they are distributed from Shark Bay and Exmouth Gulf in Western Australia through the Northern Territory, the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Queensland coast to northern New South Wales.

In Australia the standard fish name Banana Prawn is a group name which refers to Penaeus merguiensis and Penaeus indicus. While it is not an agreed standard fish name Penaeus merguiensis is commonly referred to as White Banana Prawn. The biological stock structure of White Banana Prawn is uncertain. There is some evidence that there may be separate biological stocks of White Banana Prawn in the Northern Prawn Fishery (Commonwealth); however, the boundaries of the biological stocks are unknown. Stocks within Western Australia and Queensland are unlikely to be completely independent, although it does appear that biological stocks separated by large distances are more independent than adjacent biological stocks. In the absence of clear information on biological stock structure, status is reported at the management unit level (Yearsley et al. 1999, Tanimoto et al. 2006).

Recruitment of White Banana Prawns in the Northern Prawn Fishery (Commonwealth) is thought to be largely determined by seasonal conditions, particularly rainfall. As a result, a reliable stock–recruitment relationship has not been established. No formal stock assessment exists for this stock. The harvest strategy for White Banana Prawns in the Northern Prawn Fishery (Commonwealth) is designed for the capture of larger prawns and to allow for sufficient escapement to ensure adequate spawning biomass (based on historical data), preventing growth and recruitment overfishing, and providing higher returns by minimising the capture of small prawns. This is achieved through season-length, the end of which is dictated by catch-rate thresholds (Yearsley et al. 1999, Tanimoto et al. 2006). 

This fishery was certified by the Marine Stewardship Council system in November 2012. Click here to link to the MSC fishery page and to learn more about the MSC fishery