Fishing in the Åland Islands and the border rivers in Lapland

Special regional characteristics must be taken into account when fishing in the Åland Islands and the Rivers Tenojoki, Näätämöjoki and Tornionjoki. All boats and canoes and all fishing gear and equipment brought to the water bodies in Upper Lapland must be completely dry or disinfected before they may be used in these waters.

Åland Islands

The autonomous province of Åland has a Fishing Act of its own. In the Åland Islands, permit from the fishing right holder is required for all types of fishing, including angling and jigging, but the payment of the fisheries management fee is not required.

To protect nesting birds, lure fishing from the shores is prohibited between 15 April and 15 June. The rules concerning the minimum sizes of fish also differ from those applied in other parts of Finland.

River Tenojoki

Fishing in the River Tenojoki and River Inarinjoki border river stretch is governed by the Fisheries Agreement between Finland and Norway and the related Fishing Rule.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland and Ministry of Climate and Environment of Norway may decide jointly on amendments to the Fishing Rule as permitted or required based on the status of fish populations. Negotiations with the Norwegian stakeholders must be carried out on an annual basis so that any amendments can be agreed on by the beginning of April. The topics to be negotiated may include changes to fishing seasons, the structure of fishing gear and other matters covered by the Fishing Rule. A separate, quota-based fishing licence is required for fishing in the River Tenojoki. Licences can be purchased from the Lapland Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment at www.tenonkalaluvat.fi. The website provides a link to the Norwegian website, where fishing licences for the River Tenojoki can also be purchased.

River Näätämöjoki

A separate, quota-based fishing permit must be purchased for the River Näätämöjoki recreational fishing district. These permits can be purchased from Metsähallitus at www.eraluvat.fi/en/. The fishing season is from 1 June to 20 August.

River Tornionjoki

The River Tornionjoki and River Muonionjoki fishing districts are governed by the joint Fishing Rule that is part of the Agreement between Finland and Sweden concerning Transboundary Rivers. The Fishing Rule includes provisions on fishing seasons, fishing locations, and permitted and prohibited fishing methods and gear.

The season for salmon fishing with rod gear begins on 1 June and lasts until the end of August. There is a weekly closed season from Sunday at 19.00 until Monday at 19.00. When fishing with a rod and lure, it is permitted to catch and keep one salmon per fisher per day. Trout is a protected species, and any trout caught downstream from the outlet of Lake Kilpisjärvi must be immediately returned to the water, whether live or dead.

Fishing for salmon with a rod requires a joint permit for the Rivers Tornionjoki, Muonionjoki and Könkämäeno. A permit is required for salmon fishing for the entire border river on the Finnish side all the way to Lake Kilpisjärvi. On the Swedish side, the permit gives the right to fish for salmon only in a certain section of the border river. Fishing for salmon with other permits is prohibited on the Finnish side. In the areas covered by the joint permit, fishing for species other than salmon is also allowed. In areas on the Finnish side not covered by the joint permit, the permit grants the right to fish for salmon only, while a permit from the fishing rights holder is required for other species.