Bruno Garcia from the Charente-Maritime fishing federation answers questions from listeners of France Bleu la Rochelle and today to the question of Franck who lives in Surgères and who is fishing with a magnet on the Sèvre – Niortaise. He was questioned by an individual whose function he does not know who asked him to put away his equipment and leave the premises given the ban on this practice on this river. Franck complied but wondered about the merits of this injunction. Was he really in violation? Should he ask permission and from whom?
Bruno Garcia : At first it is necessary to specify that it is not a question of a fishing technique. Neither fish nor crustaceans or batrachians are targeted. This practice has existed for several years now and is very successful. The objective is to recover submerged metal objects using a high-powered magnet. A cord, the device is thrown at random into a river with the hope of crossing the path of a rare or valuable object and it is very often an approach that is driven by curiosity.
Surely there is more frequently a bicycle wheel than something of value?
And yes inevitably the rivers and in particular near the urbanized zones are rich in litter of all kinds. Indeed wheels or even entire bicycles, large surface trolleys, regularly pieces of classic scrap metal but…….
There is a but? I imagine that if this technique continues it is quite simply that there is an interest and that from time to time we recover unusual objects?
Very surprising things! I remember in 2013 during the devatting of the Marans – La Rochelle canal, a canal dug at the end of the 19th century, of all the weapons and ammunition that had been found. The demining services intervened regularly. This already puts us on the path to the dangerousness of magnet fishing and therefore the need for regulations on the subject of magnet fishing.
Specific examples of weapons and ammunition?
Mostly shells, but what I have in mind is above all a bundle of bayonet rifles that the owner or owners had gotten rid of.
Let’s go to the regulatory side for Franck
I don’t know who the individual was who asked you to leave Franck, but he was right. You were in violation and somewhere he did you a favor you could have been fined. Since January 7, 2020, the Board of Directors of the Interdepartmental Institute of the Sèvre Niortaise basin has voted to ban magnet fishing on this river. This ban was validated by a Prefectural decree.
And on the other rivers, like the Charente river for example?
It should be specified that on the private domain these surveys are subject to the agreement of the riparian owner, who, as a reminder, owns the banks and the bed up to the middle of the river. On the public domain of the State, authorization is required. This type of excavation can generate impacts on fish spawning grounds. However, spawning grounds are protected by a dual regime: – Under the R.214-1 water policy of the environment code and under the fisheries policy. It is a minimum penalty of 20,000 euros fine provided for in the case of destruction of spawning grounds or growth or feeding areas for fish fauna without authorization or declaration (L. 432-3 of the Code of the environment). So, on the Charente river, there is no Prefectural decree, but as the Departmental Council managing the river, does not grant authorization, in fact the practice with a magnet is not authorized.