Prawn farmers’ triumph after white spot wipe-out

Their prawn farm was “wiped out” by white spot disease. But these plucky Queenslanders have made a spectacular comeback to snare gold medals at the Royal Sydney Show.

TWO years after their business was “wiped out” by white spot disease, a Queensland prawn farm family has made a spectacular comeback winning two gold medals at the Royal Sydney Show.

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Gold Coast Marine Aquaculture at Woongoolba on the Gold Coast won the best aquaculture prawn for its large black tiger prawns. It went on to pick up the overall aquaculture gold medal beating fish, oysters and other prawn species.

Noel Herbst, of Gold Coast Tiger Prawns. The farmers have made a stunning comeback after their prawns were wiped out by white spot disease in 2017.

A prawn from the award-winning Marine Aquaculture Prawn Farm in Woongoolba.

The firm also won a perpetual trophy in a special triumph for proprietor Noel Herbst, whose pioneering family began growing sugar cane in the district in 1853.

Mr Herbst will be presented with his awards tomorrow, his daughter Debbie Herbst said.

“We were wiped out by white spot in 2017,” she said.

“That’s why it was so good to win. We are super proud of our efforts to get the business back on track.”

The judging panel allotted points for taste, texture and colour and deducted points for blemishes.

Ms Herbst said the family made a “modest” return to production this year with an estimated harvest of 450 tonnes. The farm was now free of white spot.

The property has 50ha of ponds. At its best each hectare delivers around 10 tonnes of prawns.

The prawns end up in supermarkets and shops up and down the East coast of Australia.

The farm is open to the public.