Hooked on Palmerston fishing competition draws 1800 registrations by halfway mark

PALMERSTON’S inaugural council-run fishing competition has recorded close to 2000 registrations and more than 70 catches just halfway through its run.

PALMERSTON’S inaugural council-run fishing competition has recorded close to 2000 registrations and more than 70 catches just halfway through its run.

New statistics from the City of Palmerston show 1800 people had registered for Hooked on Palmerston by the end of January, and 72 barramundi had been caught so far.

Seventy per cent of those fish have been caught in Durack Lakes, while the rest have been hooked at Sanctuary Lakes and Marlow Lagoon.

City of Palmerston alderman Lucy Morrison and her stepson Sol Healy-Morrison on the barra hunt in Palmerston. Picture: Glenn Campbell

City of Palmerston Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell said aldermen were pleased the competition had received a “really big response” so far, especially among under-18s.

“Thousands of people are now signed up for it,” she said.

“It’s good to see people getting out there and fishing.”

Hooked on Palmerston, which launched on September 24, is an all-ages recreational catch-and-release competition that encourages locals to try their hand at fishing for barramundi in lakes within Palmerston.

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It runs until June 30.