Northern Prawn Fisheries (NPF) Monitoring Project 2002 - 2004

This dataset was collected by CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric division as part of its monitoring of the Northern Prawn Fishery. This is a key dataset for two separate prawn research projects ('NPF Monitoring' and 'New Catch Rates'), which have the following broad objectives: To map distribution and spatial contraction of prawns. To quantify the movement of banana and tiger prawns between the inshore and offshore waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria. Specifically this dataset is used: 1. To calculate the recruitment index each year for the main prawn species by region (January/February surveys). 2. To calculate the spawning index each year for the main prawn species by region (July/August surveys).