Exmouth is preparing something special for this year with the first-ever Exmouth Wild Prawn Festival. Taking over the coastal Gascoyne town from Thursday, April 9, until Sunday, April 12, the festival will not only celebrate one of WA’s most loved seafood treasures but also the unique natural environment and hardworking local industry it comes from.

Forged by Nature, Guided by Science

The story of Exmouth’s prawn industry began more than six decades ago, when the Kailis family first established operations in the Gulf. Today, Sea Harvest has taken over stewardship of the fishery, holding 100% of the prawn licences in the Exmouth Gulf and upholding a long-held philosophy: fish lightly, fish respectfully, and protect the ecosystem that sustains both community and industry.

Only a quarter of the fishery is trawled each year, with sensitive coral, sponge, and seagrass habitats permanently protected. Vessels undertake carefully timed 22-day trips, returning to shore during each full-moon closure. The fishery earned Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification in 2015—the global benchmark for sustainable fishing—was recertified in 2020, and will mark a decade of continuous MSC certification in March 2026, affirming its status as one of the world’s most responsibly managed prawn fisheries.

Sea Harvest’s sustainability commitment includes continual investment in cutting-edge bycatch reduction technology—escape grids for turtles, rays and sharks; mesh panels to allow fish to swim free; and live-water hopper systems that return bycatch to the ocean. These innovations are developed in collaboration with researchers and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development to ensure long-term ecological balance.

A Festival That Tells the Story

The Exmouth Wild Prawn Festival will give locals and visitors the chance to experience the fishery, its people and its produce like never before. From immersive experiences to seaside feasts, the festival will reveal a side of Exmouth often unseen—the working port, the culinary talent, the local pride and the environmental stewardship behind every prawn.

The Welcoming of the Fleet – 9 April

A tradition usually witnessed only by locals, the fleet returns to harbour with the first catch of the season. Chefs from across Exmouth will gather along the wharf, waiting for their first glimpse of the Gulf’s annual harvest, providing a rare opportunity for visitors to get a front-row view of Exmouth’s prawning industry.

The Mantarays Ningaloo Beach Feast – 10 April

At this progressive beachfront dining event, guests will move between six culinary stations, each serving Exmouth Wild Prawns prepared in a different style—from wok-fried and chilled to grilled, smoked and raw. Each station is paired with WA wines, with live music setting the tone as the sun sets.

The Wharf Celebration — Salt, Stories and Seafood – 11 April

Starting late afternoon, The Wharf Celebration gives visitors and locals a rare chance to step aboard a working prawn trawler as crews welcome them onto the deck and explain the gear, the nets and the long nights spent hauling in prawns. Back onshore, buckets of freshly cooked Exmouth Wild Prawns will be sold straight from tubs while a community market spreads across the precinct, featuring local makers, cooking demos, food stalls, distillers and microbreweries pouring Exmouth-made beer and spirits.

The Exmouth Prawn Trail

Throughout the month of April, eateries across Exmouth will each create a signature Exmouth Wild Prawn dish—everything from dumplings to tacos, linguine, brioche rolls, laksa, ceviche and grilled classics for an edible adventure across town.

April in Exmouth: Where the Fishing Comes Alive

For many four-wheel drivers, the prawn is the bonus, but the fishing is the main event. And April is one of the hottest months of the year.

Warm water temperatures and abundant bait bring pelagics into full action. Spanish mackerel are at their peak, longtail and yellowfin tuna crash bait schools, and mahi-mahi and wahoo light up offshore waters. It’s also an exceptional month for bottom species, including coral trout, red emperor, Rankin cod, spangled emperor and bluebone.

The flats and shallow systems come alive too, with queenfish, golden trevally, mangrove jack, whiting and juvenile GTs hunting across the warm sand.

Tracks for the Adventurer

4WD territory in the Exmouth region is legendary. Yardie Creek Track is known for its cliffs, sand and deep blues, while Bundegi Beach offers soft sand, Gulf views and easy access for boat launching. Ningaloo Station delivers some of the wildest, most isolated beach camping in the state—red dunes against turquoise water. And the backtracks through Cape Range provide plenty of classic, dusty, scenic runs.

Another Serve of Gascoyne Goodness

Marking the start of the annual prawn season, the Exmouth Wild Prawn Festival follows on from the success of the Gascoyne Food Festival in 2025 as the region showcases its extraordinary produce to the rest of the country and the world.

“The Gascoyne is blessed with outstanding produce, and Exmouth Wild Prawns are truly unique,” says Chris Higham, Chair of the Gascoyne Food Council. “They come from a fishery that has always valued tomorrow as much as today.”

Hailing from a unique environment and a community full of pride and resilience, the Exmouth Wild Prawn Festival is set to become a fresh highlight on WA’s regional events calendar.

The Exmouth Wild Prawn Festival runs from Thursday, April 9, until Sunday, April 12, 2026. For more information, head to www.exmouthprawnfestival.com.au