Magnet fishing

Magnet fishing, also called magnetic fishing, is searching in outdoor waters for ferromagnetic objects available to pull with a strong neodymium magnet.[1]

Magnet fishing in the Scarpe at Lallaing, France.

The hobby has been adopted by celebrities such as English rugby player James Haskell. [2][3]

The hobby is a combination of environmentalism and treasure hunting. The magnets used are strong enough to remove large debris such as discarded bicycles, guns, safes, bombs, coins and car tire rims from bodies of water, but many who engage in the hobby are hoping to find rare and valuable items as well.

It is thought magnet fishing was initially started by boaters using magnets to recover fallen keys from the water.[3]

Magnet fishing and the law

England & Wales

Magnet fishing is subject to local regulations concerning outdoor waters. It is illegal, and punishable by a £25 fine, to magnetfish, or remove any material from canal or inland navigation under the control of the Canal & River Trust in England or Wales, other than the Lee and Stort Navigation, Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, and River Severn Navigation.[4] Trust spokesperson Fran Read stated, "Magnet fishing can have its dangers, and consequently it is expressly prohibited by the Trust." One such incident, reported by ITV Central, involved a child pulling a sawn-off shotgun out of Titford Canal in Oldbury, West Midlands, on Sunday 26 August. The child's family later contacted the police and the gun was removed and taken for analysis.[5] The Trust refrains from legal action for first-time offenders.[3]

Hamburg

In Hamburg, magnet fishing without a permit is punishable by fine.[6][7]

Belgium

Amateur magnetfishers in Belgium helped the police by recovering new evidence, specifically firearms and ammunition, related to the crimes of the Brabant killers.[8]

In general, police urge those who find weapons or similar items to contact them.[3][9]

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See also

References
  1. "Magnet fishing: The explosive hobby cleaning up French rivers". AFP via Yahoo! News. Retrieved 2020-04-11.
  2. "Magnet fishing: England rugby star James Haskell's unusual hobby". BBC News. 4 February 2018. Retrieved 2020-04-11.
  3. Elliott, Coran (18 August 2018). "Safety warning as rise in magnet fishing hobby sees anglers fish out guns and grenades in UK rivers". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 18 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018. Alt URL
  4. "General Canal Bye-laws" (PDF). British Waterways Board. 24 February 1965. p. 16. Retrieved 21 August 2018. 41. No person unless authorised by the Board in that behalf or otherwise legally entitled so to do shall: ... (d) Dredge or remove coal or other material from any canal.
  5. "Family find sawn-off shotgun in canal". ITV News. 28 August 2018. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018.
  6. "Behörde warnt eindringlich vor Magnetangeln" [Authority warns urgently against magnetic fishing] (in German). Hamburg: Verlagsgesellschaft Madsack GmbH & Co. KG. RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  7. "Umweltgebührenordnung (UmwGebO) Vom 5. Dezember 1995" [Environmental fee schedule (UmwGebO) From December 5, 1995]. Landesrecht online (in German). Hamburg. 5 December 1995. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  8. "'Magneetvissers' bezorgen dozen met munitie en wapens aan speurders Bende van Nijvel". De Standaard (in Dutch). Antwerp, Belgium: Nieuwsblad.be. Raad voor de journalistiek. 26 October 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  9. "'Magnet fishing' hobbyist finds firearm in water at Reaume Park in east Windsor". Windsor Star. Retrieved 2020-04-11.


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