Easter seafood bargains: Why you could be paying less this year

It destroyed our beaches, but ex-tropical cyclone Alfred be set to serve up the best news for Queensland seafood lovers as Easter approaches, with prawn and crustacean prices predicted to fall. Here’s why.

Queenslanders could be in for some seafood bargains in the coming months, with prawn and crustacean prices tipped to drop by about 10 per cent.

The cheaper catches would come as a result of Tropical Cyclone Alfred stirring up waters off the Queensland coast, making ideal conditions for shrimp.

Andrew Solomon from The Fish Factory in Brisbane’s Morningside said trawlers were hoping for an abundance of prawns, but wouldn’t be sure of stock levels until they returned to the waters within the next fortnight.

“If we see a lot of prawns it could meant that we see prawn prices come back potentially,” he said, with the large boats fishing for two to three weeks.

“As [the trawlers are] out there every night, they’ll let us now how they’re catching, but we’re very optimistic that this may be a positive for the prawn industry.”

The catches could arrive just in time for the peak seafood period of Easter and continue into winter, resulting in some serious bargains for consumers.

“I’d say in prawns and local fish species out of the bay, potentially [a saving of] around the 10 per cent mark, so fingers crossed that we see some good deals for Easter,” Mr Solomon said.

However, for shoppers buying vegetables, TC Alfred hasn’t been such good news, with experts predicting price increases.

Fruit and vegetable costs spiked earlier this week driven by supply and demand issues after Queenslanders stripped shelves bare in Covid-like panic buying. But the price hikes will continue due to the impact of heavy rainfall on some crops resulting in waterlogged fields and delays in harvesting.

“In the short term, I expect price increases, particularly for root vegetables such as carrots, onions, and potatoes,” said Matthew Spencer, of Brisbane Markets wholesaler Carter and Spencer Group.

“Leafy greens may remain more expensive for a longer period, as they more affected by the heavy rainfall.”