Festival a salute to salmon

The popular annual migration of salmon through the region is set to be celebrated at a new Dunsborough festival.

Clancy’s Fish Pub is hosting the inaugural Running of the Salmon Fest on the Anzac Day long weekend to recognise the natural phenomenon which has long fascinated tourists and fishers.

Supported by the City of Busselton, the event will include family-friendly activities as well as a fishing competition.

Clancy’s and Dunsborough Outdoor Sports have tagged and released 10 salmon in the lead-up to the event and are offering prizes for the first people to catch one, including a first-place reward of $750. The competition started last Monday and successful fishers should take the catch or a photo with the fish and tag to either business.

Winners will be presented at the festival, which will also feature live music, stalls, face painting, jumping castles, kite flying, fish casting, golf, the great salmon toss, a barbecue salmon cook off and salmon smoking.

Clancy’s entertainment director Tom Fisher welcomed any community input on the festival.

“We are looking to make this an annual event a bit like the Mandurah crab fest, ” he said.

“It’s a pretty amazing thing that this natural phenomenon comes to our shores each year and we thought it should be recognised. The aim is to make it a great fun family day to celebrate the salmon and the region in general.”

The Running of the Salmon Fest will kick off at noon on Saturday, April 26 at Clancy’s Fish Pub.