Is magnetic fishing allowed or not allowed in the municipality of Groningen?

Anyone who follows the magnetic fishing reports may have lost some time recently. Police said Thursday that fishing is banned, while the community announced two weeks ago that it is allowed in certain ponds.

Spokesman Hans Coenraads from the municipality of Groningen can understand the confusion. “We said two weeks ago that it is forbidden in places that are considered public waterways, but that it is allowed in ponds, for example. We reviewed this policy in the past 14 days. Recently we saw magnetic fishermen pulling explosives out of the water on a fairly regular basis, which the Explosives Ordinance Service had to take action on. We have also seen that through these messages, more people are also interested in magnet fishing. We then decided that magnetic fishing is prohibited in the entire municipality of Groningen. “

“The EOD is not just coming”

According to Coenraads, magnet fishing is not without risk. “In the past few weeks we’ve seen explosives being broken down. But what if such a projectile explodes when fished out of the water? One must also recognize very clearly that the EOD does not come easily. The hobby of fishing with magnets involves risks. It’s unsafe. “

Fines

But does the ban mean that parking tickets will now also be distributed? “That is not our intention. Yes, we will enforce this. And when we see people who magnet fish, we’ll talk to them first. However, if people study hard, they can eventually face a fine. “

Investigation of explosives

Because of all of these messages, people might get the idea that the ponds in Groningen are full of explosives. Is that also the case? “We don’t know. It is clear that there was heavy fighting for the city of Groningen in April 1945. But we don’t know exactly how much ammunition is left or where it is. In the past we have studied this historically and have some knowledge have already been shared. It is clear that we want to visualize this together with other parties such as the water authorities and take action if necessary. “