The Finnish commercial fishery has been obliged to adapt to new circumstances of EU membership and the regulations in the common market. The aid scheme of commercial fishery has changed from operational-based aid into structural-based aid. In addition to this the market has been liberalised, thus increasing competition. The regulations concerning fishery itself and the use of gear are still on the other hand based on the recommendations of the International Baltic Sea Fishery Commission.

The commercial fishery has already centralised and become more professional during the past few membership years. This progress has been inevitable. Due to increased competition the catch per unit today will lead to lower coverage. Enterprises have still many ways to increase coverage. One can reach for bigger catches per unit. One may even try to obtain better price from the catch. The costs can also be lowered by rationalising and developing operation.

The precondition for being able to raise catch levels is the centralisation of the sector. This is because one cannot assume the total catches to rise continuously. Especially regarding Baltic herring the opposite development is possible. The centralisation of the sector means in practice that even more resources are reserved for the professional fishermen.

In future, attention must also be paid to the price of the catch. The common interior market will remain very much dependent on imported raw material. This also means that the demand for the community’s own production can be expected to remain at a high level. High quality of raw material and products is however the precondition to this. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will support this development also in future. As far as Baltic herring is concerned this also means a better utilisation of the catch for human consumption. The quality and the price of the catch can also be influenced by centralising the sector towards commercial fishery. As the production of the Finnish commercial fishery is quite versatile, there is also room for small operators in the sector.

The lowering of the operational costs of the enterprises and the rationalising of the operation in common is the cornerstone of modern business management. It is also possible to receive public aid to the investments related to this operation.

The future of the Finnish commercial fishery seems bright. on the other hand, the sector must go through the restructuring process that began along the EU membership. This applies to the primary producers as much as the operators of the market.

Kalevi Hemilä
Minister of Agriculture and Forestry

Today the professional fishermen in Finland are few but efficient. Most of the catches landed are produced by the 1,300 professional fishermen in the sea regions and the 300 on inland waters. 3,900 fishing vessels are used in the sea regions, but only 54 of them are longer than 21 metres. The most important off-shore target species are herring, whitefish, sprat, salmon, pike-perch and cod, whereas vendace is the target species in inland waters. The annual catch of commercial fishery totals 120 million kilograms and the value of the catch reaches 200 million marks.

Consumers have an extremely positive attitude towards fish. About half the population eat fish at least once a week, 12% more often than that. Most consumers appreciate the good taste and wholesome qualities of fish. In addition, consumers place value on the freshness and constant availability of fish on the market. The consumer also wants to know where the fish has been caught. The appreciation of food produced close by has increased.

At times the demand for fish exceeds the supply. On the other hand, the demand and supply of different fish do not always meet. Nature sets the limits in the form of natural conditions and fluctuations in fish stocks. For the professional fisherman the major future challenge is to secure the constant availability of prime quality fish according to the wishes of the consumers. Only professional, quality conscious fishing combined with a smooth co-operation with the whole chain of fishing business can satisfy the demands of the consumers.

Commercial fishery has not succeeded in attracting new entrepreneurs to the business. The number of fishermen has decreased and the average age is growing steadily and alarmingly fast. The number of commercial fishermen will continue to decrease in the future, too. By making fishery more profitable and by creating better working conditions on the vessels it is possible, however, to ensure the survival of the fishery profession in the years to come as well. Our membership in the EU, the trends in food industry and social changes have had an influence on commercial fishery. For the professional fisherman, the new operations environment sets demands for increasing economical investments, as well as new knowledge, skills and methods. The hero of the seas has stepped out of the shoes of a primary producer into those of a private entrepreneur in food industry.

Kim Jordas
Managing Director
Finnish Fishermen’s Assosiation

Raija Kara
Managing Director
Voice of FinnFish