Natasha Fyles
Minister for Major Events
Media Release
Second Season 7 tagged barra in the bag!
7 October 2021
Australia’s richest fishing competition continues to deliver, with lucky fisho Danilo Mallari landing the second prize-tagged barra of the season.
Danilo, from Darwin, caught his lucky 85cm $10,000 catch while land-based fishing at Cullen Bay as part of Season 7 of Million Dollar Fish, underwritten by Sportsbet.
It was a birthday barra surprise for Danilo, who celebrated his 50th birthday just last week.
The catch follows the first $10,000 fish caught last weekend by Reece Prior at Daly River, also by land-based fishing, after the season began on 1 October 2021.
For every $10,000 fish caught, the lucky fisho gets to donate an additional $1000 to an official Million Dollar Fish charity partner.
Danilo chose Cancer Council NT as the beneficiary of the prize money.
There are still 98 fish carrying $10,000 tags swimming around in Territory waterways and eight fish worth a million bucks, as all Million Dollar Fish from previous seasons are still active.
Over the course of the competition, a Million Dollar Fish has now been released in each of the Top End’s five main fishing regions – Darwin, Katherine, Kakadu, Arnhem Land and the Tiwi Islands.
Season 7 of the Million Dollar Fish competition runs from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022.
To be in the running to claim any winnings from a red-tagged fish you must be registered for Season 7. Register for free at [https://www.milliondollarfish.com.au].
Quotes from Minister for Major Events Natasha Fyles:
“Only one week has passed since I released this lucky Barra from the Darwin Ski Club and it has already been caught at Cullen Bay.
“We put three fish in the water that night at the Ski Club, so the chances of someone catching the other two are pretty high. The fact we’ve had two fish caught from land shows any fisho can reel in the Million Dollar Fish.
“This competition continues to deliver the goods year on year, and we look forward to more and more fishos from the Territory and interstate heading out on the water to try their luck.”
Quotes from SportsBet External Affairs Manager Brad Fanning:
“It’s great to see a second $10,000 fish caught already! Season 7 is off to a great start, and SportsBet is hopeful someone will land the big one this season.
“Two fish in the first seven days of the competition is fantastic. Get out there, get fishing, and get catching yourself some dollars. Remember you must be registered to claim any prize money.”
Quotes from winning fisho Danilo Mallari:
“We were planning to go to Mandorah for a fish this morning, but decided to stay in Cullen Bay due to the tides.
“We were only fishing for around half an hour when we caught the tagged barra. It wasn’t until we put it in the esky, that we saw the red tag.
“I’ll split the prize money between my wife and children, and buy more fishing equipment to try and chase the Million Dollar Fish.
“I’m very thankful for the Million Dollar Fish competition and to have this opportunity – this is the first year I’ve registered for the competition and I’m so glad I did!”
Quotes from Tanya Izod, Chief Executive Officer of the Cancer Council NT:
“A huge thank you to Danilo for donating to Cancer Council NT. It’s wonderful to have such huge support for cancer patients in the Northern Territory.
“This donation will go directly to funding our Nurse-led cancer clinics to provide counselling and support to cancer patients in the NT. Every person who fundraises or attends an event, or volunteers on our programs, becomes part of the fabric that supports cancer patients and their families through their treatment.”
Photo: Minister for Major Events Natasha Fyles released three fish at the Darwin Ski Club last week to launch Million Dollar Fish.
