Equipped with powerful magnets, history enthusiasts and environmentalists scour France's rivers, pulling out bits of scrap metal, bikes, scooters and the odd kitchen appliance. Sometimes, too, they fish other more unexpected objects out of the water, such as unexploded munitions. Magnet fishing has fast become a popular pastime, according to public safety officials, but French authorities have clamped down over fears that historical battle sites could still harbour active weapons.

Magnet fishing clearing out French Rivers, scouring history. (2019, September 1). Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A13.