Local fish suppliers are encouraging Gold Coasters to buy Christmas prawns early this year due to limited supply

FISHING wholesalers and retailers are urging the public to buy prawns early this year with a prediction of demand outstripping supply over Christmas.

FISHING wholesalers and retailers are urging the public to buy prawns early this year with a prediction of demand outstripping supply over Christmas.

Local trawlers have caught few prawns in recent weeks as the crustacean is not in season but suppliers say the treat is in particularly high demand at Christmas.

Gold Coast Fishermen's Cooperative chairwoman Roxeen Vaughan said catch rates of prawns were low late in the year and the best option for Gold Coasters who wanted prawns at Christmas was to stock-up ahead of time.

"Generally in December, the catch rates are fairly low and that's when we have trouble supplying people.

"Make sure you get the nice, fresh ones and freeze them yourself," she said.

"Some of the boats are stocking-up now.

"You can't supply everybody in a week."

Ms Vaughan said the danger of buying prawns for Christmas late was missing out in the end if weather inhibits trawlers.

"I've got beautiful produce today and there's hardly anyone here," she said.

"If I was buying prawns for Christmas, I'd get them now.

"The weather could be bad leading up to Christmas and we could get nothing.

"Really you can only get a three-day forecast that's reliable."

The fishermen's cooperative head said people often get frustrated if they cannot purchase what they want.

"Please be patient with us," she said.

"People get really cranky at us.

"We just can't do any more than we do."

Tasman Star Seafood Market manager Peter Duncombe said he thought the best time to buy prawns would be on Christmas Eve but said King Prawns were particularly sought after.

"People will definitely miss-out on them," he said.

"I would come on the 23rd or through the night some time."

Charis Seafood owner Jim Stamoudis said there was nothing wrong with prawns that had been frozen and thawed before Christmas and said people who wait in lines and bulk-buy for themselves and friends often cause fights in queues for the Christmas catch.

"I think people can come in now.

"The big problem will be there are no fresh prawns available.

"There's plenty of produce around it's what you want to pay for the produce as well."

Mr Stamoudis said it was particularly difficult to predict how much prawns will cost in coming weeks because the pricing of the product is in a state of flux.

"Prawn prices are still climbing," he said.

"Fishermen are asking more for them, they're working a lot harder."