News

Catch of the day for regional tourism

By Maddy Fogarty

Feb 11, 2021

Fishing tourism is booming in regional Victoria, with the Golden Tag competition racking up $100,000 won by participants since being expanded and relaunched.

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Beginning in March 2020 to encourage tourists back to fire-ravaged Gippsland and north-east Victoria, the competition was suspended due to COVID-19 lockdown.

Expanded and relaunched in November 2020 at Loch Sport, tagged fish have been caught from Mallacoota to the Wimmera and in between.

East Gippsland's Gary Arthurson and his $2000 flathead from Tamboon Inlet was the lucky fisher to chalk up the $100,000 mark.

Victorian Fishing and Boating Minister Melissa Horne it was great to see the support given to regional Victorians by this competition.

“With more than 1000 tagged fish still swimming and the competition running through until the end of 2021, there's plenty of time to plan your next fishing holiday and dangle a line,” Ms Horne said.

“These fish are paying for themselves with a flow-on effect running through the economy,” FutureFish director David Kramer said.

“The real winner here is regional tourism.”

Some of the species included in the Golden Tag competition are flathead, bream, luderick and whiting in Gippsland; brown and rainbow trout in the north-east; Murray cod and golden perch north of the divide; and popular marine species such as kingfish and southern bluefin tuna off the south-west coast.

For more information on the Golden Tag competition, visit: vfa.vic.gov.au/goldentag