Guy Barnett,Minister for Primary Industries and Water
Congratulations to Fiona Batterham, a 12-year-old girl from Selbourne in Northern Tasmania who has reeled in the first $10,000 tagged trout in the Tasmanian Government's Tagged Trout Promotion.
The tagged trout was appropriately caught on national Gone Fishing Day on Sunday, with Fiona reeling it in at Lake Rowallan in the State's North West.
This is the first of five tagged trout that were released to encourage anglers to visit regional areas and support the economy as we continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each tag is worth $10,000 to the angler that returns the fish, tagged intact to the Inland Fisheries Service.
Well done and thanks also to the Westbury Fishing Club, who organised a competition at Lake Rowallan last weekend and gave Fiona the opportunity to reel in the trout.
The good news is that there are still four tagged trout left and there is still plenty of time for Tasmanians to buy an angling licence and potentially reel in a $10,000 trout, while enjoying our beautiful outdoors and supporting regional economies in the process.
The four remaining trout can be found in yingina/Great Lake, Arthurs Lake, Lake Burbury and Lake Pedder, and I encourage everyone to buy a licence through their local tackle shop, Service Tasmania or online from the IFS, and enjoy what our State has to offer.
Recreational fishing is part of the Tasmanian way of life and we have some of the best recreational fishing spots in the world.
I'm sure Fiona's achievement will encourage even more people to get out, wet a line, and enjoy the amazing fishing experiences on offer in Tasmania.
