Martynas Pranaitis
Angling Trust Building Bridges Officer
Martynas has been an Angling Trust Key Volunteer since joining the Volunteer Bailiff Service following its launch in the South East of England and also contributes to the education and integration of migrant anglers as a Building Bridges Project Officer.
Martynas said: “I was born and grew up in Lithuania in a small city with an 820-acre lake right on my doorstep. It was while I was still a teenager that seeing the effects of poaching on this lake influenced my decision to study Environmental Sciences and Ecology.
“Not long after I became a student I visited the Lithuanian Environment Agency and applied to become a volunteer bailiff. After showing enthusiasm, knowledge and patience I soon qualified to become a warranted volunteer bailiff – with almost the same powers as a Fisheries Enforcement Officer – working as part of the Environmental Protection Department’s Live Nature Unit which has responsibility for water and hunting related poaching activity’’
Martynas, who graduated with a Masters, added: “The only way forward is for European communities to embrace the law and culture of their adopted countries, as I have. I’m passionate about fish, fishing and protecting our fisheries. I look forward to continuing to assist the Angling Trust and Building Bridges Project with its vital ongoing work.”
Contact: [email protected]