Local prawns, fish and Moreton Bay bugs had been paraded as the best value options for a Christmas spread but retailers said the recent abundance may soon dry up if the weather does not.
Donna Browne, sales and marketing manager at Morgan's Seafood at Scarborough, said the effect was already starting to show. "The supply of prawns has been fantastic up to date, [but] it's starting to dry up a little because we've had quite a few windy weeks," she said.
"The next two weeks are crucial [for determining] prices for Christmas."
Ms Browne said wet weather generally helped boost seafood supply but long spells made it more difficult to access it. "When there's wet and windy weather, prawn trawlers don't go out as often [which] reduces the supply. That generally drives prices up," she said.
"People feel that we put the prices up around Christmas, [but] the only reason that puts prices up is supply and demand."
Queensland Seafood Industry Association president Michael Gardner said it was too early to know how much a platter of prawns or family-sized fish would cost on Christmas Eve, but retailers feared the promotion of a bumper season could end up a seafood famine.
"At this stage [the Christmas seafood market] is looking mixed," Mr Gardner said.
"We've got unseasonal weather. It's possible that it could improve in the next couple of weeks but certainly it's been very quiet so far. "Things like inshore prawns and king prawns may be in short supply and we're probably going to see an increase in prices."
Mr Gardner said fin fish, local reef fish, whiting and flathead also could become more expensive. "We hope if we get good weather between now and Christmas that will change," he said.
The weather forecast does not look bright for the industry, or those who prefer crustaceans over meat. The Bureau of Meteorology predicts rain across southeast Queensland each day for at least the next week. Forecaster Rick Threlfall said it was too difficult to say whether it would clear up later in the month, but it did not look good. "All the signs are there ... this it's going to to carry on being wet," he said.
"There was record spring rainfall ... [and] the seasonal outlook is suggesting that southeast Queensland has a 70-75 per cent chance of being wetter than average for the summer.
"The wet story looks like it will continue, but whether that comes at Christmas time or elsewhere in the summer [remains to be seen]." Mr Gardner said a poor Christmas seafood supply would have a "significant" impact on the industry. However, he does not recommend buying and freezing just yet. "But I'd keep a close watch on the weather," he said.
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