Somewhere in the Top End there’s a barramundi with a red tag in it worth $1 million. Million Dollar Fish, run by Tourism and Events NT and paid for by Sportsbet, is Australia’s richest fishing competition, and Season 12 started on 1 October. Entry is free. Here’s how it works, what you have to do if you hook a tagged fish, and who has actually been paid.
- When: 12.01am 1 October 2026 to 11.59pm 31 March 2027. The $1 million fish stays live until 30 September 2027 (Terms and Conditions)
- Prizes: One red-tagged barramundi worth $1 million and 100 worth $10,000 each (Tourism and Events NT; T&Cs)
- Entry: Free, 18 and over, and you must register before you catch the fish (register here)
- Where: Tagged barra are released across the Tiwi Islands, Darwin, Katherine, Kakadu and Arnhem Land
- Who pays: Sportsbet underwrites the cash prizes; Tourism and Events NT runs the competition
- Charity: Surf Life Saving NT gets $1,000 for every $10,000 fish, and $10,000 more if the $1 million fish is caught
How does Million Dollar Fish work?
Before each season, fisheries company InfoFish catches barramundi, fits them with a red tag and lets them go. Each tag reads ‘Million Dollar Fish Competition’, carries a unique number and has an RFID chip that is scanned to confirm a claim. Tags from Seasons 1 to 11 are dead: only Season 12 tags pay out this season (T&Cs).
You can only catch a tagged fish by line fishing: a rod and reel or a handline, with hooks, sinkers or lures. A landing net is fine. Nets, traps and spears aren’t, and commercial fishing boats can’t enter. The prize goes to whoever was holding the rod or line when the fish was hooked, even if a mate netted it (T&Cs).
What to do if you catch a tagged barramundi
The steps are set out in the competition’s terms and conditions:
- Don’t take the tag out. Wipe off any algae so the number is readable.
- Take three photos: the front of the fish, the fish lying on a fish mat or next to a tape measure to show its length, and the tag.
- Ring 1800 077 001 and read out the number on the tag. They’ll tell you what it’s worth.
- Email the photos to InfoFish for checking.
- Keep the fish and the tag. You’ll need to get both to Tourism and Events NT in Darwin, or arrange another way to have them checked if you’re remote.
- Officials scan the tag with an RFID reader. Once it’s verified, the money is paid by bank transfer within 30 days.
If you weren’t registered when you caught it, you can’t claim, and registering afterwards doesn’t count.
Season 12 bonuses
- Charter double-up: catch a $10,000 fish on an eligible Tourism Top End fishing charter between December 2026 and March 2027 and it pays $20,000.
- Promotions from November to March: ‘Double the Dough’, ‘Size Matters’ and ‘Fish with Mates’. Last season a 76 cm fish caught during a Size Matters promotion paid $40,000 (winners list).
- Monthly draws: everyone who registers goes into draws for Top End trips, Airnorth flight vouchers and Shimano fishing packs, plus a major prize of an Arnhem Land fishing trip.
Details from Tourism and Events NT, 6 October 2026.
Has anyone caught the $1 million fish?
Once. On Sunday 28 April 2024, near the end of Season 9, 19-year-old Keegan Payne hooked a 67 cm barramundi on the Katherine River at night. It was the first $1 million fish claimed since the competition began in 2015 (ABC News; NT Independent; winners list).
“We nearly crashed the boat getting back to the boat ramp,” he told the ABC. “It’s pretty hard going for us at the moment with money, but now with a million dollars, don’t have to complain about it.” He said he’d help his family, buy a new boat and plan a trip to America (ABC News).
Days later, a live Sky News Australia interview with Payne drew a backlash after presenter Peter Stefanovic brought up an old allegation from when he was a teenager. Sky News and Stefanovic apologised to Payne and his family (National Indigenous Times; Te Ao Māori News).
Who’s won so far, by the numbers
The competition’s own winners list has 130 tagged fish claimed since 2015, and says more than $2 million has been paid out. Season 11 alone paid 18 anglers a combined $220,000. In Season 12, four $10,000 fish had been listed by 31 October, two of them by the same angler, Darren Kenny, in the first fortnight (winners list; competition history).
| Most tagged fish caught at | Claims |
|---|---|
| Daly River (incl. Daly River Crossing) | 27 |
| Yellow Water, Kakadu | 6 |
| Manton Dam | 4 |
| Bridge Lagoon | 4 |
| Adelaide River | 3 |
| Cullen Bay, Darwin | 3 |
The biggest tagged fish on the list is a 105 cm barra caught by Kai Hale at Manton Dam on 11 March 2023, worth $20,000. The $1 million fish was only 67 cm. Size doesn’t matter, the tag does.
Is the $1 million prize taxed?
The competition doesn’t say. Its terms state that winners are responsible for any tax and should get independent financial advice (T&Cs, clause 43). The ATO’s guidance on prizes lists prizes from banks and investment bodies as income you must declare, and says you don’t declare prizes from ordinary lotteries and raffles. It doesn’t cover fishing competitions (ATO: prizes and awards). If you win, ask an accountant.
The rules you still have to follow
The legal minimum length in the NT is 55 cm, and you can have five barramundi in your possession. In Kakadu National Park and the Mary River and Daly River Fish Management Zones the limit is three per person, with a vessel limit of one fish over 90 cm (Million Dollar Fish FAQs; NT Fisheries).
You don’t need a recreational fishing licence in the NT, but you do need a permit to fish on Aboriginal land and some tidal waters over it, through the Northern Land Council (T&Cs).
This is saltwater crocodile country. The NT Government tells land-based anglers to stand five metres back from the water’s edge and never to dangle arms or legs out of a boat (Katherine Times), and the competition’s own advice is to use a landing net rather than reach into the water for a fish (Million Dollar Fish FAQs). Planning a trip up there? Here’s our Top End boys trip guide.
Million Dollar Fish: FAQ
Is Million Dollar Fish free to enter?
Yes. Registration is free at milliondollarfish.com.au. You pay your own costs to go fishing.
Who can enter?
Anyone 18 or over who registers before catching the fish. Staff of Sportsbet and Tourism and Events NT, and their households, can’t.
When does Season 12 end?
The $10,000 fish are live until 11.59pm on 31 March 2027. The $1 million fish stays live until 30 September 2027.
Are there any more $1 million fish out there?
Just one. Season 12 has a single $1 million barramundi, live until 30 September 2027. Every tag from Seasons 1 to 11 is now dead, including the Season 11 $1 million fish, whose off-season window closed on 30 September 2026. Older tagged barra may still be swimming around, but their tags no longer pay anything (T&Cs; Million Dollar Fish FAQs).
How many $10,000 fish are left?
96 of the 100, going by the official winners list on 31 October 2026. Four Season 12 fish had been claimed, the latest on 18 October. The list can lag behind catches, so check it for the current count (winners list).
How many tagged fish are there?
One $1 million barra and 100 worth $10,000 in Season 12.
Has anyone won the $1 million?
Yes, once: Keegan Payne, on the Katherine River on 28 April 2024.
What if I catch a tagged fish and I’m not registered?
You can’t claim it. You must be registered before you catch the fish.
Can I keep a tagged fish?
You have to keep it, with the tag in, until the claim is verified. It still has to meet the legal size and possession limits.
Sources: Million Dollar Fish Season 12 Terms and Conditions; Million Dollar Fish FAQs; official winners list; Tourism and Events NT, 6 Oct 2026; ABC News, 30 Apr 2024; NT Independent; National Indigenous Times; Te Ao Māori News; ATO. Checked 31 October 2026.
