Metsähallitus, which manages state-owned waters in Finland, intends to eliminate the use of plastic in fishing traps. For many decades, fishers have attached a plastic marker to their traps in order to indicate payment of a fishing permit. The goal is to completely eliminate the use of plastic in the state-owned enterprise.

“We want to take every possible step – even the smallest ones – towards a clean Baltic Sea,” says Jukka Bisi, Director, Game and Fisheries at Metsähallitus.

Every year, thousands of plastic markers are attached to fishing traps to show wilderness supervision that a permit has been paid. In the future, wilderness supervision will check the permits from the fisher’s contact information, which according to Finnish law must be marked on every fishing trap.

Wilderness supervision has been testing the new monitoring tool all autumn. The contact information allows supervision to check whether a fishing permit is valid for the area in question.

Sales of Metsähallitus trap permits begin on 18 December. As in previous years, permits can be purchased by calling the service number +358 20 69 2424. Permits can also be purchased from the Eräluvat web shop for the first time, because customer service no longer has to mail plastic markers to fishers.

Exceptions to sales

The following fishing permits for Northern Lapland are sold only at the nature centres of Northern Lapland:

1272 Net fishing waters of Enontekiö
1284 Kiertämäjärvet
1287 Kuutusjärvi
1288 Kopsusjärvi
1289 Luirojärvi
1290 Net fishing permit for Lake Inari
1291 Net fishing permit for the affluents of Inari

In the following areas, sales begin only on 7 January 2020

1290 Net fishing permit for Lake Inari (sold through Ivalo/Siida)
7007 Kuivasaari
7008 Haukivesi
7009 Pihlajavesi
7011 Haapaselkä-Tolvanselkä
7014 Puruvesi public water
7015 Pyhäselkä public water
7016 Orivesi public water

Each year, fishers purchase 4000-5000 fishing permits for Metsähallitus trap permit areas. Metsähallitus has a total of 62 trap permit areas, each of which includes several water areas.

Trap fishing in state-owned waters means fishing with nets, traps, baited lines, fyke nets, long lines, fishing gigs (gigging), harpoons or fishing bows. A trap permit is intended for recreational fishing. Commercial fishing permits are granted separately.

Read more

>> Metsähallitus’ trap fishing areas (Excursionmap.fi)
>> Metsähallitus’ trap fishing pages (Eräluvat.fi)

Further information

Specialist Olli Urpanen, Metsähallitus (fishing) olli.urpanen@metsa.fi, tel. 020 6395056
Specialist Juha Ahonen, Metsähallitus (wilderness supervision) juha.m.ahonen@metsa.fi, tel. 020 6397060