NT fishos keen to cash in on expanded Million Dollar Fish comp this season
LOCALS will have a better chance of taking home a big prize at this year’s Million Dollar Fish competition, according to NT fishing guru Alex Julius.
Northern Territory
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LOCALS will have a better chance of taking home a big prize at this year’s Million Dollar Fish competition, according to NT fishing guru Alex Julius.
Mr Julius said weather forecasts would be favourable for fishing.
“We’ve had this prediction now there’s going to be three times the chance of an early, bigger and longer wet season because of the La Nina effect every eight or 10 years,” he said.
“Every fisherman is rubbing their hands with glee.”
The economy will also reap the rewards, with total visitor expenditure amounting to $31m during season four.
While interstate and international visitors spent $10.7m as a result of the competition, Territorians still put $20.3m into the local economy.
Border restrictions could also mean less competition from interstate fishos.
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Mr Julius said while the competition was generally a major drawcard for interstate and international tourists, restrictions would give locals a better chance of winning with less fishos to compete with.
“It’s a shame we’re dealing with this coronavirus because 70 to 80 per cent of your fishing tourists come from NSW and Victoria and WA is off limits too because you can’t go back there,” he said.
“But the locals will all go fishing, they can’t go anywhere else, they’re not going to go to Bali.
“At the end of the day hopefully tourism can get back on the right stream, Million Dollar Fish is one way of doing it but it also needs governments to be more strategic in their border closures.”
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This year’s competition will include seven million-dollar barramundi swimming around the NT’s waterways, while the double tagged barra will allow the winning fisho to give an extra $5000 to a mate who’s been having a tough year.
Season 6 runs from October 1 until March 31.
Originally published as NT fishos keen to cash in on expanded Million Dollar Fish comp this season