NTUC Live Prawns

[Joseph_T]

Can I use those as live baits for jetties? What are the differences between those sold in NTUCs and those sold in tackle shops?

[Peace]

I don't think NTUC sells live fishes or prawns, Sheng Shiong on the other hand sells live prawns and in fact cheaper than tackle shops. The thing is they don't provide you with those hard plastic bags and oxygen like they do from tackle shops, so you probably want to bring your own container and air pump.

Dead prawn wise, those from supermarkets are usable but people believe that preservatives might have been added to keep the seafood fresh especially if it is imported. I personally like getting those from wet market as there are lots of stalls to choose from, and I can scan for the freshest ones. Dead prawns from Sheng Siong is good idea too for some of their dead prawns are actually those live ones that have just died, so that's about the freshest dead prawns you can get.

Another issue is that dead prawns from supermarkets are often too big for fishing, at least for me. If you're using it for surf or targeting biggies, I guess that's fine.

[Tere]

Alley, must update liao ... AMK HUB NTUC got live prawns. But more ex compared to Sheng Siong.

If go AMK HUB mite as well go SS at Blk 122, somewhere opposite the Mosque.

[Peace]

Wow, I didn't know NTUC were this quick to get a hand in this market as well. Any idea what's the price they're selling at?

[Streetmonkey]

Seng Siong Live prawn, u mus have very fresh supply of sea water for them. once they leave the tank, the survival rate or motaily rate is very low. i ever tried it. i dump it into a big pail of fresh sea but somehow, thing doesnt work. maybe i shld had add in some bit of ice to keep the water cool.

[Joseph_T]

it's around $20 per KG if I am not wrong, prolly lesser.

[Peace]

Even if it's 20 dollars, it's still at least 10 dollars cheaper than you can get from tackleshops.

[ahwin]

I think the problem is with the sheng siong prawns life expectancy, is that the water they have been adapted to is either artificial salt water or a mixture of salt and freshwater. Which is why when u dump them in sea water they die out very fast. Happened to me, i brought a keep net to bedok jetty, dumped all my prawns in there throw it deep down, after 1 - 2 hours all dead ! In concluded that it is basically due to the water quality those prawns are bred in and are accustomed too. What i do now a days to counter this problem is, i bring a proper box to keep my live prawns and just simply add little by little some seawater, allowing them time to acclimatize to the change. I will usually add 1 cup every half hour or so and if it is over flowing throw out the excess mixed water. By the end of about 2 hours of continually adding the salt water in small proportions they will soon become acclimatised to the salt water making things easier. This also aids in preventing the build up of toxins over time allowing your prawns to stay alive longer

Cheers!

[Peace]

Good analysis there. For me, I ever tried using keepnet for prawns and they don't last very well either. I believe this is because of the repeated bringing up and lowering the net back every time you need to take a prawn. The prawns weaken every time you do this, mostly from heat and trauma. The keepnet isn't suitable when there's strong current too because the net will be lifted near the surface and they get stuck against the netting. Not very good for prawns either.

I always change all the water at once but I don't observe any unusual mortality. I think we can also take into the account the state of health of the prawns when it is being sold, some batches arrived inherently weak or starving which could be reasons why they die more easily. In tackle shops/supermarkets, they have better controlled settings like temperature, filtration and circulation to keep the prawns alive.

I've never bought NTUC/Sheng Shiong prawns before, so I can't say much about.