Aquaculture

Fish farming trade in Finland

Aquaculture is the farming of fish, shellfish and water plants. In Finland the importance of aquaculture in fishing industry is greater than in European countries in general. Here we rear mainly fish and crayfish. Nowadays the value of the production of aquaculture is bigger than that of professional fishing. The principal product is fish reared for human nutrition. Another significant line of production is fry for fish plantation in natural waters to maintain the fish stock and the opportunities to catch fish.

The most reared fish for food is rainbow trout (about 95 %), the second being whitefish. Brown trout, arctic char and sturgeon are also farmed. All in all, fry of more than 20 fish and crayfish species are produced for plantation. The major part of fry is predatory fish, such as salmon, brown trout and arctic char. Whitefish, pike perch and grayling are reared for plantation mainly in ponds with natural nutrition.

Image: the archives of Kymen Sanomat

Production structure

The production has developed so that the flow of live fish is from interior to the sea. The fry for both plantation and production of food fish are reared inland. However, more than 80 % of the final growth of food fish takes place on seashore.

The number of plants

In total there were 515 aquaculture stations and production units in the register of aquaculture in 2009 (600 in 2003). 141 of them were on seashore (160 in 2003), of which food fish plants 126 (154 in 2003) and fry plants 14 (9 in 2003). 374 of them were inland (450 in 2003), of which food fish plants 61 (69 in 2003), fry plants 89 (95 in 2003) and ponds with natural nutrition 227 (294 in 2003).

(Sources: Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira and Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute 

In Finland, aquaculture is carried on by the following:

• commercial private enterprises (food fish and fry plants, ponds with natural nutrition)
• state (Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute)
• societies (the institutes of agricultural centres)
• aquaculture stations by obligation (the fisheries owned by power stations)