Rules
Fishing Competition and Rules
Deep Blue DNA Pty Ltd is responsible for the Deep Blue DNA Fishing event.
These rules and conditions of the competition may change from year to year. It is the responsibility of the competitor to review the rules and conditions each year.
Deep Blue DNA Pty Ltd will endeavour to inform participants of annual changes however hold no responsibility for individuals not knowing and understanding the rules.
Competition Starts
Competition entrants can begin fishing from 12:01 am on Friday, 5 March 2021.
Eligibility
The public including Deep Blue contractors, stallholders, volunteers, past committee members and families of current committee members are eligible to enter the Deep Blue Fishing Competition. The current sitting Management Committee Members and Sponsors (excluding Guests) are ineligible to enter the competition.
Boat and Personal Watercraft (PWC) Competitors
All persons operating vessels must follow all current Queensland Department of Transport
regulations.
Competition Boundaries
Competition entrants may fish Queensland publicly accessible waters between the North tip of Fraser Island to Burleigh Heads(excludes fish farms, private dams, etc) from a boat, personal watercraft, human-powered craft (kayak, canoe, stand-up paddleboard etc) or land-based.
Falsification
Any evidence of falsification such as:
• fish caught outside the Deep Blue Fishing competition dates and times;
• an individual weighing in fish without an Official Ticket;
• netted, speared or deck reel landed fish; or
• any action in defiance of the rules and goodwill of the competition will be placed in the hands of the Management Committee and persons involved will be withdrawn from the competition.
Disqualification
Deep Blue DNA Fishing Competition Management Committee reserves the right of absolute disqualification in the event of specified breaches of rules occurring, including sample testing by the Queensland Fish Management Authority. The Management Committee’s decision is final and retains the right to withhold any cash prizes or trophies pending investigation.
Disputes
In the event of any dispute or any differing interpretation of the rules and conditions of the Deep Blue DNA Fishing Competition, the competitor may write to the Management Committee stating their dispute. The Management Committee will hear the dispute after the competition is completed providing the disputing competitor a fair hearing. The disputing competitor will be advised in writing of the outcome of the dispute. The Management Committee’s decision is final.
Guidelines
All fish species are as per the Queensland Government Department of Agriculture and Fisheries website fish species guide www.daf.qld.gov.au.
The following 19 fish species are the only species eligible categories at the Deep Blue DNA Fishing Competition:
Wahoo
Dolphin fish(Mahi-Mahi)
Mackerel (Spanish and Spotties)
Pearl Perch
Tailor
Teraglin
Tuskfish (Venus)
Mack Tuna
Bonito
Snapper
Sweetlip
Cod
Threadfin
Mangrove Jack
Flathead
Trevally
Tarpon
Bream
Whiting
Fish must exceed Queensland minimum size limits.
**RULES 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 AND HOW TO WIN**
All competition categories for March 2021 will be LIVE or LENGTH based Categories.
All fish must be alive when measured and have photos taken on a reputable Brag Mat to meet QLD legal size, and to allow for catch and release so you can stay out fishing if you don't want to bring them in or take them home.
Alternatively, you can bring your live fish into the verification tent at the Comp and have it measured.
Two photos or a video are required to qualify any fish being recorded.
Competitors Can register their fish length by any of the following means,
Text through photos of your fish and e-ticket to 0487199735 for approval,
Msg your pictures and e-ticket to our Facebook page,
or
Provide photos to the verification tent staff at the Comp before the daily cut off times for verification.
(prizes must be collected in person)
Alternatively, you can bring your live fish into the verification tent at the Comp and have it measured by our staff.
Feel free to bring in your other catches and get some photos with the DBDNA crew, and you could be showcased in the next Deep Blue DNA Fishing Competition promo.
DBDNA will not accept homemade mats. To ascertain that you caught the fish within the competition time, you can collect a free of charge DBDNA sticker from the entry marquees or the Mooloolaba boat ramp jetties during the event and display this sticker on your brag mat. Two photos or a video are required to qualify any fish being recorded.
Photos
One showing the whole fish with no or very little blood with the head at the start of the measure (0) (photos or videos must be taken from directly above the fish, DBDNA will not accept any obscure angles.
The other zoomed in on the tail showing its length.
Both photos must display the current free of charge DBDNA sticker for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (these will be 3 different stickers)
Fish are recorded from the nose tip to the centre of the tail fork.(if there is suspected tampering with the mat or the fish, the fish will not be recorded)
If you catch a fish that exceeds brag mat limits, it is up to the competitor to either: bring in the fish to the Comp and have it measured at the verification tent.
OR
The competitor can take a clear video of the fish being measured with a credible tape measure. (brag mat must be in the frame next to your fish)
DBDNA will accept NO other Brag Mats, other than the above options.
The photograph or video MUST include the official free of charge DBDNA sticker (whole fish with head, and tail photos).
A new free sticker will be released each day, and entrants can pick up the stickers from both the front desk at the event and from the jetties at the Mooloolaba Boat ramps.
The length category winners will be selected as the longest fish for each species for each day.
How To Win
There will be 19 daily categories.
19 Winner, and 19 Runner Up prizes each day.
Everyone has a chance to win every category on the same day.
Length based category wins will be awarded for the longest recorded fish for that day in any one of the 19 fish categories. E.g. flathead
The runner up will be second longest in that same category. E.g. flathead
All species will have a winner and a runner up prize.
The same for Saturday and Sunday although Sunday is also when the major prizes are drawn.
One major prize will be for the highest total overall length.
Two major prize’s will be for "closest to the mystery length prizes."
**Example 1 overall lengthLENGTH- Day 1, Jim records a 60cm Snapper, a 30cm Pearl Perch and a 90cm Mackerel on Friday, this gives him a combined total length of 180cm for the Friday (only 1 of each species/day will be counted and accumulated towards the overall prize)
Jim does the same thing with different fish the next day (these can be of the same species just not the fish you caught the day before) All good, now he has 360cm combined.
Jim does the same on Sunday - 540cm is Jim's total score for the event.
Phil catches one 102cm Mackerel on Friday a 90cm mahi-mahi on Saturday and nothing on Sunday.
Phill's total score for the event is 192cm.
Jim wins.
**Example 2 mystery length. Jim captures his photos, and he submits a photo of a 35cm bream, a 35cm flatty and a 27cm whiting on Friday.
This gives Jim a combined total length of 97cm for the Friday (only 1 of each species/day will be counted and accumulated towards the overall prize)
Jim does the exact same thing with different fish the next day, all good, now he has 186cm combined.
Same on Sunday -
Jim's total score for the event is 291cm.
Sophie catches one 30cm bream, one 45cm flatty and a 30cm whiting on the Friday giving her a total of 105cm.
If Sophie does the same for Saturday and Sunday, she will have an overall score of 315cm.
If one of the mystery lengths on the day gets called at 3100mm
Sophie would win in this case.
Mystery length prizes.
The mystery lengths will be provided to us by two of our sponsors on the day, and the closest to that accumulated length also receives a major prize, giving everyone a chance of winning a significant prize.
Happy Fishing!!
Competitors must present their current Ticket at the verification tent (refer to the proof of ticket section).
Without their Ticket, competitors are not eligible to register their fish.
To qualify for the daily prizes, the fish must be registered in no later than the daily cut off time on each day.
Anglers must abide by current fisheries rules and regulations. If a fish is caught during a closed season for that particular species, or if the entry does not abide by fisheries rules for any other reason the fish cannot be entered.
All fish must be entered by an individual competitor at the verification tent based on length to win the junior/senior daily and overall event prizes
Additionally, competitors can present their brag mat photos at the verification tent.
Daily Fish registration Timetable:
11:00 am – 2:00 pm
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Junior division.
Junior competitors must catch the fish and retrieve the fish to the boat or shore themselves.
A parent can help lift the fish into the boat.
Junior competitors must be able to hold the rod and retrieve the fish by themselves and be able to lift their fish to be eligible, inability to do so will be deemed that the junior competitor did not catch the fish and will not be allowed to register it.
At the conclusion of the daily registrations, all daily fish category winners will be awarded the daily fish category payout for the longest fish recorded for that day.
If a fish has not been recorded for a daily category, the daily category prize will jackpot to the next day. This means that the previous unawarded daily category prize will be added to the next days category prize.
first recorded entrant fish counts in the case of ties and the selection of the winning category in multiple category wins.
All competitors are encouraged to fish sustainably.
At the conclusion of the fishing competition, all daily fish category winners will be considered for awarding the overall event payouts and prizes.
Competitors must present their Ticket at weigh-ins to be eligible (refer to the proof of ticket section.
Overall Prize Pool
The overall cash and prize pool is strictly based on competitor entry amounts.
The amount of $35,000 in COMBINED cash and prizes is based upon there will be 500 entrants into the senior competition and $17,500 for 500 entrants into the junior competition.
In the event there are less or more than 500 entrants in either age bracket it is at the discretion of the Deep Blue DNA Management Committee to review and determine the final amount of the cash prize money. the Deep Blue DNA Management Committee’s decision is final.
The Overall prize Winner in both age brackets will also receive complimentary entry into the next Deep Blue DNA Fishing Competition.
Bonus Prize
The Deep Blue DNA Fishing Competition may include other cash prices but it is entirely at the discretion of the Deep Blue DNA Management Committee to determine whether further prizes will be available at the event.