Available wild-caught, they are bottom-dwelling marine prawns, found from southern NSW, around the northern coast of Australia to Shark Bay, WA.
Adults are found in coastal waters on sandy or muddy bottoms to depths of about 95m and juveniles usually on seagrass beds in estuaries, although reds can also be found on mud flats and among mangroves. They are caught at night in WA, NT and Queensland by trawlers in rivers, inshore areas and offshore continental shelf waters, with the largest catches coming from the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Blues comprise about half the total prawn catch in Torres Strait. They have a pale brown to pink body with either a bright blue or bright red edge to the tail fin, depending on the species.