The 56cm barra was part of the Merry Fishmas campaign, which saw an additional 12 tagged fish released into Territory waters. Clues to their whereabouts are being shared on the Million Dollar Fish social media channels throughout December. This is the second Merry Fishmas fish caught, and the ninth fish caught during Season 7 of the competition. There are still 103 Season 7 $10,000 fish swimming around Territory waterways, plus eight chances to catch a barra carrying a tag worth a million bucks.
For every $10,000 fish caught, an extra $1000 is donated to an Official Million Dollar Fish Charity. Manap chose the Starlight Children’s Foundation Darwin Star Ball.
Season 7 of the Million Dollar Fish competition runs from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022.
To claim prize money from a tagged fish, and to be in with a chance of winning goodies from the Lucky Prize Pool, you must be registered for Season 7 of Million Dollar Fish. Register for free at [https://www.milliondollarfish.com.au].
Quotes from NTMEC CEO Tim Watsford:
“This has been such an incredible Million Dollar Fish season so far! We’ve now seen nine fish caught in almost as many weeks, and the last few days have delivered an absolute barra bonanza.
“With such amazing results word is spreading ever further about Million Dollar Fish, and what a phenomenal place the Territory is to visit and fish. There really is nowhere else like it.”
Quotes from SportsBet External Affairs Manager Brad Fanning:
“SportsBet is delighted to be paying out yet another $10,000 to a lucky fisho. Season 7 is going off! We’ve seen nine fish caught so far, but there are still plenty out there, including eight chances to catch a million bucks.”
Quotes from winning fisho Manap Lay:
“Fishing is my passion and I’m out nearly every day. I’ve been following the clues on social media to try and catch one of the 12 extra fish, and couldn’t believe it when I saw the red tag.
“I’d been fishing at Cullen Bay for a while, then a shark cruised by and ate a fish, so I went somewhere else. I thought I’d give Cullen Bay one more chance later on, and that’s when I caught the fish.
“It was a tricky catch – the barra was a bit finicky taking the lure – but I got it eventually!”
Quotes from Starlight Children’s Foundation Hospital Program Manager NT, Jesse Butler:
“On behalf of the Darwin Star Ball Committee and Starlight Children’s Foundation, we thank Manap for this donation. After the challenges of the past 12 months, community support is needed now more than ever to help Starlight bring happiness to sick kids in the NT.”
Image: Fisho Manap Lay with his winning fish at Cullen Bay
