Illegal anglers populate the Main bank in Offenbach largely unmolested and threaten sport fishermen.
Offenbach – poachers – these are sombre fellows who primarily roam through dark thickets at night, guns at the ready, always looking for fat prey. It’s different in Offenbach. There is poaching in broad daylight and in front of the public – and fish at that. Apparently, the perpetrators are becoming increasingly bold and ruthless. A walk along the banks of the Main between Hafeninsel and Bürgel in good weather shows the extent of this. On good days, groups of anglers have settled every few meters, from Eastern Europe according to the language, hold their rod in the water, often there is a barbecue and alcohol is drunk. What looks almost picturesque for walkers is illegal in most cases. Almost none of the anglers have a federal fishing license and the necessary fishing license. “There are sometimes 30 to 40 wild anglers on the Main section near Offenbach city centre,” says Uwe Helbing. He is chairman of the Neptun fishing club in Offenbach. “The whole thing has really exploded in the last one to two years.” It is well known in the fishing scene that the poachers are actually mainly people from Eastern Europe and Russia. Language barriers therefore made communication difficult. If you ask the wild anglers what they are doing, you will at best get an uncomprehending shrug of the shoulders before the rod is cast out again. Martina Kämmerer, Chairwoman of the Offenbach Fishing Club (ASV), knows that things can get worse. “There have been physical attacks and even fights,” she reports. Because these people are often drunk and would react aggressively. “That’s why none of our people dare to fish there anymore,” says Kämmer. “And as a woman, I wouldn’t cast a line there.”
Uwe Helbing confirms that. “Our sports anglers avoid these people whenever they can.” Night fishing is therefore hardly possible anymore. “It used to be no problem. Today it is best to have three or four people to be safe at all.”
–Helbing’s two club inspectors had also reported to him several times about threats in action. “They are now saying quite clearly that they no longer control a group of three of these people because they fear they will end up with a knife in their back,” reports the club boss. “The whole area here is firmly in the hands of the poachers.”
The city police are aware of the problem. However, she would only intervene if she happened to come across a wild angler or if there were complaints from citizens, says head Lothar Haack. Because fish poaching is a criminal offense and is the responsibility of the state police. “That’s why we don’t do any control days or take targeted action against wild anglers,” explains Haack. Nevertheless, his people would check suspicious anglers about three times a month on average. The official figures from the police headquarters in Southeast Hesse show how few game anglers are really held accountable. According to spokesman Thomas Leipold, there was only one case last year. At least seven in 2020, and only one in 2019.
Helbing also thinks he knows why that is. “Whenever we call the police, it doesn’t lead to anything because the patrol only arrives 30 minutes later,” says Helbing, describing the course of numerous reports that he and his teammates have already made. The poachers then calmly packed up their stuff and were long gone when the patrol arrived. “These people know full well that there is no one to hold them accountable. That’s why they keep spreading.” Because poaching in the Main is lucrative for illegal anglers. “On a good day, some people get up to 30 kilograms of fish from the Main or the neighboring lakes,” says Helbing. “It’s a huge loss for us, because we used the fish for a lot of money beforehand.” Just a few days ago, his club released fish in local waters again for 2,500 euros. “I assume that a third of that alone will end up in the poachers’ stomachs.”
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