Abstract
Historically western school prawns (Metapenaeus dalli) were an important and iconic catch for commercial and recreational fishers in the Swan-Canning Estuary in Western Australia. However, the abundance of this penaeid declined dramatically since the 1960s, resulting in the closure of the commercial fishery and essentially the cessation of the recreational prawning. Furthermore, despite the large reduction in fishing effort, stocks of this species did not recover. In 2012, a restocking, research and community engagement program was undertaken to 1) investigate the feasibility of increasing the abundance of this key species through restocking; 2) determine the factors that may have contributed to its decline; and 3) assess the effectiveness of the restocking. This presentation outlines the components of the project, including the aquaculture procedures used to cultivate M. dalli, an assessment of the genetic consequences of the restocking, the biology and ecology of this species in the Swan-Canning Estuary and the methods used to engage recreational fishers and the broader community in the project.