Fishing tourism

Organizing fishing tourism events is also possible on state lands, provided that the necessary permits are in order. Additionally, you can enter into an agreement with Metsähallitus to sell fishing permits to your customers. 

Fishing guide permits

You first need a permit from the ELY Centre to organize fishing tourism events, after which you can apply to Metsähallitus for a permit to utilize state waters for business purposes.

The ELY Centre can, under Section 18 of the Fishing Act, grant a permit for the entire area or part of it to organize fishing tourism events with up to six participants at a time, engaging in angling, ice fishing, or lure fishing. Once the permit is obtained, the fishing tourism entrepreneur must pay an annual state fisheries management fee of 100 euros. Metsähallitus is responsible for collecting the fee, but all permit decisions are made by the ELY Centres. For more information on paying the fisheries management fee, you can contact eraluvat@metsa.fi.

Metsähallitus can also grant permits to entrepreneurs to organize fishing tourism events (angling, ice fishing, or lure fishing as per Section 7 of the Fishing Act) in geographically defined large areas. Metsähallitus may impose regional fishing restrictions and rules on these permits. The entrepreneur's permit does not include the actual fishing permit (an angling permit) or the fisheries management fee for the fishing customers, which must be obtained separately if needed. The entrepreneur's customers do not have priority in purchasing personal fishing permits for angling areas.

For more information on Metsähallitus permits, you can contact fishing specialists.

Permit sales

A company can enter into an agreement with Metsähallitus' Wildlife Services to sell fishing permits and fisheries management fees to its customers. The permits are sold through the Entrepreneur Portal of the Eräluvat.fi service. The seller collects the payment from the customer, which Metsähallitus invoices the company for monthly in arrears. The invoice is reduced by the sales commission retained by the company.

For more information, contact: eraluvat@metsa.fi.

Use of Metsähallitus hiking structures in business operations

If a company uses Metsähallitus hiking structures, such as day huts, wilderness huts for daytime use, campfire sites, dry toilets, marked trails or other similar structures in its business operations, the company must conclude an agreement on tourism cooperation and rights of use with Parks & Wildlife Finland.

The price of the cooperation agreement consists of a basic fee (one-time fee) and an annual fee according to the use of the hiking structures. Read more on cooperation agreements with nature tourism business on the metsa.fi website.