Do you want to know why prawns are expensive? Yes, I want to know why prawns are expensive. I’ve been working in the aquarium industry for quite some time.

I’ve previously kept guppies and bettas in my tank, and I used to be madly in love with prawns. And that affection stayed with me during the epidemic, and I looked for an online store that could send me a premium breed of prawn for my new tank. Then something occurs…

I was drawn to an SS Grade Crystal Red Prawn because of its brilliant red hue. But when I saw the price, my heart almost stopped.

It was an absurd $15 per piece!!!! I had made a mistake with the numbers. I looked at a few websites that showed prices in a comparable range.

Furthermore, I read a few papers demonstrating that prawn prices in Europe and America have steadily risen since the 2010s’. But that’s not all; keep reading to find out why prawns are so pricey, plus much more.

Now, let’s get started.

Is Raw Prawn Cheaper

Purchasing your prawn from the neighborhood seafood store would give you a better value overall. To answer your question, raw prawn will always be sold at a lower price if it is closer to the ocean.

This indicates that the prawn was captured that day, making it incredibly fresh. Pay special attention to the fresh prawns you find in a store the next time you shop.

It should be indicated on the label that the prawns were previously frozen and then thawed before being sold.

In that case, however, you won’t find a better offer anywhere else. The price for them is the same as the price for frozen prawns.

Why? To begin, a freshly caught prawn will be entire. With their heads on, their tails on, and maybe already fried.

This method is inexpensive and straightforward but requires you to return home and remove the shells, heads, tails, and veins.

Why Is Prawn So Expensive

Prawns are an expensive delicacy these days. Various factors contribute to the high cost of both aquarium and restaurant prawns. Let’s have a look at these elements.

1. The Syndrome of Early Mortality:

As the name implies, early death syndrome in prawns results in the immature death of farm prawns. Donald V. Lightener of the University of Arizona’s Department of Veterinary Science and Microbiology collaborated with his team.

Their paper, Early Mortality Rate Affects Shrimp in Asia, discovered that the illness rapidly spreads among the prawns of four Asian shrimp farming nations. China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Bangladesh were all represented.

2. Price of the Prawn Harvesting Process:

Another factor contributing to the high cost of prawns is the high expense of collecting various varieties. Both ocean water and farm prawns are harvested throughout the harvesting procedure.

Anglers must frequently venture deep into the oceans and seas to collect ocean prawns. What’s more astonishing and terrifying is that studies reveal prawns and fish are plunging into deeper sections of the waters where regular nets can no longer reach.

As prawns migrate further into the water, the expense of catching them using nets rises rapidly. It raises the overall costs. Furthermore, prawn farms must undergo frequent testing for prawn health.

3. The cost of processing:

While meat for restaurants is easily accessible and inexpensive, the situation for prawns is the polar opposite. Similarly, every shellfish and prawns are thoroughly processed before transportation.

The prawn processing requires a fillet plant, which is not a cheap alternative. Workers at the plant will remove the prawn’s heads, scales, and tails under the supervision of various authorities.

Also, the prawn must be thoroughly cleaned before the cargo is ready for the market.

4. The cost of shipping:

It has something to do with both aquarium prawns and restaurant prawns. Prawns are shipped through many layers of packaging.

They are first taken from the ocean or prawn farms near coastal locations. The prawns are then transferred to the fillet plant for processing and cleaning.

The cargo will be sent to wholesalers, who will then distribute the prawn to various seafood markets. Furthermore, most of the prawns come from Asia, necessitating enormous shipments.

5. Difficult Tasks

Farming and harvesting prawns are hard labor.

When it comes to taking a live animal and attempting to catch it in its natural surroundings, it is almost always a challenging task.

Catching and preparing prawns for sale in a grocery shop is time-consuming and intricate.

This tough task must be paid somehow, which is done by the amount you pay for your prawn.

Consider what it would take to go out and collect your prawns for your next cookout.

You are unlikely to be able to complete this task unless you live on the water and have all of the necessary equipment.

As a result, bringing prawns to your table is a costly operation.

Those who cannot do so are ready to pay others, making it a convenience problem.

Prawn is pricey since you don’t have to make an effort, but you can get wonderful prawn delivered relatively fresh to your grocery store for you to enjoy.

Why Are Large Prawns More Expensive

Large prawns will always be more costly since they are simpler. Some people like to extract the vein from the rear of the prawn, which is much easier to perform with a few giant shrimp than a few hundred little prawns.

Also, a giant prawn is proof of excellent farm management, which is always more expensive. Farmers charge a premium price for these prawns because they have invested in agricultural equipment, a water treatment facility, potentially a closed water system, and a good pond-cleaning procedure.

That’s all there is to it when it comes to prawns. These tiny animals are pricey because they live a miserable, crowded life that often results in premature death.

Those losses must be compensated for in some way, and remember that most prawns available are already shelled and cooked.

Why Are Tiger Prawns Expensive

Tiger prawns from farms are significantly less expensive. Smaller ones, like the one in the photo, cost roughly $23/kg (expensive this year due to a shortage of supply due to a virus impacting farms) and are generally available at supermarkets.

Also, why is prawn so expensive? To be a wild prawn. In Australia, seafood is derived from both wild fisheries and aquaculture.

Because they are more expensive to cultivate, Australian prawns are sometimes more expensive. Knowing is power, and Australian-caught prawns are more likely to be sustainable than imported rivals.

What is the difference between king prawns and tiger prawns, for example? King prawns are Australia’s most popular, larger than tiger prawns.

They have a deep flavor and luscious, medium-firm meat. When uncooked, their tail tips are vivid blue. Is it also important to know if tiger prawns are healthy? Prawns are a high-quality protein source that contains some of the most vital vitamins and minerals in a balanced diet.

They contain excellent good cholesterol and are surprisingly low in calories. Why are tiger prawns poisonous? The tiger prawn is known to be vulnerable to 16 illnesses and can transmit them to other shrimp species (humans are not in danger).

Disease and predation from the invasive tiger prawn may severely affect native prawn harvests, resulting in a financial loss for shrimp fishermen.

Why Are Prawns More Expensive Than Fish

Farming prawns come with additional expenses; it is important not to forget those expenditures when calculating the total cost.

Cultivating or harvesting prawns is extremely labor-intensive and results in many unexpected additional expenses for most individuals.

This is the situation with most seafood that may be purchased at a market.

You can’t truly believe that the food will swim up to your shelves without any effort.

If you want to get the most out of the food you are investing in, you should consider the many steps that go into producing it.

In addition, this will assist you in comprehending and rationalizing the cost that you are required to spend.

How To Make Money From Prawn Breeding

If you are concerned about the cost of freshwater shrimp, consider breeding your prawn and selling the offspring to recoup some of your losses.

You’ll need to get shrimp of a good grade and appropriately handle them.

Even though freshwater shrimp are rather small, you should go for a tank with at least ten gallons capacity if you want to breed your prawn.

The Ultum Nature Systems Ultra Clear Glass Aquarium from Amazon.com is a product that I find appealing. The diamond glass used in this aquarium has a clarity of 91%, and the sleek and simple design makes it suitable for installation in any area.

You should maintain the prawns in their tank so that they can mature into adulthood. Almost all fish will consume young prawns.

 Thus, it is important to do so. Hold on to them until they reach a length of at least one centimeter, at which point you can get between $30 and $50 for each one! 

Final Thought

Now that we have established why prawns are expensive, there are various causes behind the high cost of prawns.

These are the scarcity of better-grade aquarium prawns, the cost of collecting, the rigorous processing, and the cost of transportation.

Furthermore, prawn prices in the aquarium and the restaurant have progressively risen over the previous decade.

With the pandemic scenario showing no signs of abating anytime soon, the possibilities are that prawns will become even more expensive due to supply chain inconsistencies and a decline in prawn output in Southeast Asia.

Last but not least, you may breed for higher grades of prawn to make a lot of money!