A record that destroyed a career. And other news

Meta description: Fake pike record, poacher deportations, Baltic Sea inflow, and ecological vandalism for £600k. Fishing news from our podcast.

TL;DR

• Wojtek Sobierajski reported a "Polish record" without metadata. The community debunked it in one day.
• A Ukrainian put a Wels catfish from Lake Balaton in his trunk. Result: deportation and a 5-year ban from the Schengen area.
• The Baltic Sea inflow started, but it was too weak. There was a lack of westerly winds.
• Beata Olejarz is once again the president of PZW (Polish Angling Association). 108 votes out of 114.
• In England, a farmer received 12 months and a £600k fine for "ecological vandalism" on a river.

Intro

12 months in prison. £600,000. And the court's definition: "ecological vandalism on an industrial scale."

That's the cost of destroying a river in England. In Poland, catching fish during the closed season carries a fine of no less than 500 PLN. This disparity haunted us throughout this episode.

We talked about news, of which there was again too much. We have a problem with regularity – we know. We were supposed to record this news right after the storm with Sobierajski, but we decided to wait. And it was a good decision. Because emotions subsided, and facts remained.

And there were a lot of facts: from a fake pike record, through a catfish in a trunk, to cocaine in Swedish salmon.

Fake pike record. With comments disabled

Wojtek was our guest. He talked about how much he loves catching pike. And then that podcast – as someone aptly put it – "aged beautifully."

We received comments that we should delete it. In our opinion: no. Who could have known?

That silly photo we posted on Instagram Story – copy, paste from the internet, Lightroom, exposure to the max. And blurry lights from Żarnowiec appeared. That could be done with a finger on an iPhone.

Michał: "Why would Wojtek, having all this, suddenly do something that totally discredits him in the fishing world?"

We checked the facts. Wiadomości Wędkarskie (Fishing News) confirmed that a pike longer than the record was reported. The problem? Only fragments of the video and photos without metadata were submitted. No date, time, or pin. Cleaned up when blurring the lights.

The State Fisheries Guard is conducting investigations regarding the closed season and night fishing. The police are also interested in the case.

And he still posted: "I came to Żarnowiec to clean the banks." And at the end – "only victory." With comments disabled.

Krzysztof: "I believe he doesn't regret it at all."

An angler will check. We remember how with a 126 cm pike, people measured fingers on the screen with a ruler. Nothing will get past them.

Poaching: catfish in the trunk. Deportation as a bonus

The legend of Lake Balaton. A 180 cm catfish, in a pond in the middle of the city, caught a few times and always released.

Until a 57-year-old Ukrainian citizen arrived. He caught it from a pedal boat – because fishing from vessels is prohibited there. He reeled it in, put it in his trunk, and drove away.

The worst part? People stood by. They filmed. No one said, "Dude, put him back in the water."

The consequences were serious. Arrested. Charges of misappropriation of fish and animal cruelty. The Border Guard issued a decision for immediate return. Deportation and a five-year ban from entering the Schengen area.

And here our disproportion returns. Catfish in the trunk – deportation. Night fishing during the closed season – a 500 PLN fine.

A similar streak in Wrocław. On Easter Monday, a Ukrainian was fishing without authorization. A police patrol approached by motorboat. The man panicked. Result: no authorization, amphetamine and marijuana on him. Three years in prison and a deportation request.

Question for you: what do you think about fishing regulations for foreigners in Poland? How would you regulate it – not just Ukrainians, but also a Frenchman who wants to fish on the Vistula? Please, no slandering. Write us your observations from the water.

Salmon on cocaine. Grayling by the ferry

Sounds like a song title. Salmon on Cocaine.

But the topic is real. A study in Current Biology showed that young Atlantic salmon exposed to cocaine and its metabolite moved differently than the control group. The metabolite had the strongest effect, not cocaine itself.

The location is Lake Vättern in Sweden. The second largest in the country, you drive along it for two and a half hours. The problem is not that someone is dumping coke into the river. Trace amounts end up there through wastewater, and treatment plants don't catch it.

The conclusion is simple: even very small concentrations of pollutants can genuinely change the ecosystem.

And by the same lake – something beautiful. Greetings to Tomek, Michał's cousin, who lives by Vättern. On Visingsö island, instead of entering streams to spawn, grayling found a spot at the ferry terminal. They considered the currents from the ferry engines to be flowing water.

The Fiskarna Rike team documented it. Drones, underwater cameras, divers. The ferry approaches – the fish begin to spawn.

Michał: "Another adaptation to an environment appropriated by humans."

A rare example where human infrastructure does not displace fish, but temporarily creates conditions for their reproduction.

Beata Olejarz back in power. 108 out of 114

April 17, 2026, Paprotnia near Sochaczew. PZW delegates' convention – and they really like conventions.

Beata Olejarz re-elected. 108 votes out of 114. We bet those six gentlemen are no longer there.

Several points in the program resolution. Electronic payment system in all districts by the end of the term. Promotion of angling among children and youth – they do this really well, we're not saying PZW only does bad things.

And the most important thing. For the first time, a hand extended to foundations like Wolne Rzeki (Free Rivers). Joint action for river unblocking, barrier removal, and stream renaturalization. So they understood. Although Wody Polskie (Polish Waters) will be an obstacle – it will always be a fight.

In our opinion, one thing is missing. A frontman. A representative who will go to the Sejm and say: "There are so many of us, and we deserve this." Like in Denmark – we asked a client how they built a fishing museum. The answer: "All it took was one person in the government who fishes."

What do we wish Ms. Olejarz? To take care of the fish stock. Because without water, there will be no business – and without fish, there will be no anglers and no one to pay dues. Less stocking, more places for natural reproduction. Just like the Danish Gravel Gang – 30 people in waders spreading gravel and stones from morning till night.

Ecological vandalism for 600,000. And an inflow that didn't come

England, River Lugg. It will take 20-30 years to recover.

In 2020, farmer John Price illegally removed tons of gravel from the riverbed, destroyed the bank, and removed 71 trees – to build a road and a horse arena. The court called it "ecological vandalism on an industrial scale." 12 months in prison, £600,000 plus the costs of restoring the river.

The most striking part? Despite restoration efforts, experts still report a lack of life in the damaged section. Humans destroy a river in a few days. Nature rebuilds over decades.

We compared this to Wody Polskie (Polish Waters). In Poland, it's not done spectacularly. Here, it's a table, a maintenance plan, the slogan "safety." Straightening rivers, removing gravel – but in an elegant way. Although they can also do good: the Drawa project, the Parsęta project.

But from Europe, good news. Summary of dam removal for 2025: 603 barriers removed in 21 countries, an 11% increase. 3740 km of rivers restored. Leaders: Sweden, Finland, Spain. Iceland and North Macedonia removed their first barriers.

And from the Netherlands – something brilliant. The Visdeurbel project. Fish doorbell. An underwater camera was installed at the lock in Utrecht. You see a fish on your phone, you click the bell, someone opens the lock, and the fish swims on. The first such doorbell in the world.

Meanwhile, the Baltic Sea. The inflow started, but it was too weak. After historically low water levels – 67 cm below normal, the lowest since 1886 – there was a lack of prolonged westerly winds. A large inflow in 2014 was 320 km³. This did not happen in 2026.

FAQ

Was Sobierajski's pike a real record?

It was not recognized. Wiadomości Wędkarskie only received video fragments and photos without metadata. Lack of date, time, and location made verification impossible.

Why are penalties for poachers so different?

A catfish in a trunk is animal cruelty plus misappropriation – hence deportation. Fishing during the closed season carries a fine starting from 500 PLN. The disparity is real and surprising to us.

Did saltwater flow into the Baltic Sea?

The inflow started, but it turned out to be too weak. There was a lack of westerly winds to push large masses of salty, oxygenated water over the sills.

When will our Wild Fish Festival be?

We are moving it from December 2026 to spring 2027. The pre-holiday period was too intense. Details on our website under the Festival tab.

Sources

• Wild Fish Stories Podcast, episode with Wojtek Sobierajski (archived)
• Wild Fish Stories Podcast, news (current episode)

Summary

One thing can ruin a lot. This sentence keeps coming back after the Sobierajski case – the guy had everything and destroyed it with a fake record. But what bothered us most was the disparity in penalties. A catfish in a trunk means deportation and a five-year ban. A ruined river in England means £600,000. And in Poland? 500 PLN.

On the other hand, there is hope. The Baltic Sea inflow, though weak, will eventually come. PZW is reaching out to foundations like Wolne Rzeki for the first time. The Dutch are making a fish doorbell, and Europe is removing 603 barriers annually. Grayling spawn by the ferry. Nature adapts – the question is whether we will keep up.

Festival 2027. New collection in the store. Berbones on offer – there will be more cooking. And Michał is going to Tierra del Fuego with Rafał Słowikowski. Tents, king salmon, gauchos. You have to know how to catch fish.