Whether you throw a line in or throw a tuna (or simply eat one), there’s no doubt we’re a nation of fish-lovers – a fact celebrated year-round with community festivals and contests.

Coming up: in Port Lincoln, on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, the annual Tunarama Festival will be held from January 25 to 28. The busy program includes seafood feasts, prawn-peeling competitions and the blessing of the town’s commercial fishing fleet.

The marquee event is the World Championship Tuna Toss, in which competitors throw a 10-kilogram rubber tuna as far as they can. Last year, local man Michael Proude beat his son, Levi, by just three centimetres to win the title with a throw of 18.33 metres. Juniors can throw rubber seafood, too, with a prawn-toss competition for under-10s and a salmon toss for older kids.

From March 17 to 25, anglers will gather in Exmouth, Western Australia, for the Gamex tournament, hoping to catch broadbill swordfish, marlin or any of 41 listed game species. 

In the Northern Territory, Season 2 of Million Dollar Fish continues until the end of February. So far, six barramundi with $10,000 prize tags have been caught; the $1 million-tagged barra remained elusive at press time.

If you prefer your seafood on a plate, try Victoria’s Portarlington Mussel Festival on January 14 – more than 10 tonnes of mussels were sold there in 2016 – or the Apollo Bay Seafood Festival from February 18 to 19.

SEE ALSO: Pilbara Is the Enduring Star in Red Dog: True Blue

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