Fishing permit areas renewed: learn about the changes

At the turn of the year, five large angling permit areas were redistributed into 52 new permit areas. In addition, the boundaries of trap fishing permit areas were revised.

This article was originally published on 14 November 2025. It has been updated on 11 May 2026.

The purpose of the reform was to align Metsähallitus’ large fishing permit areas with the boundaries of the fisheries management areas. Fishing is currently regulated and planned by fisheries management area. For example, decisions by the fisheries authority, such as minimum catch sizes, always apply to a specific fisheries management area. Thanks to the reform, the rules for Metsähallitus’ fishing destinations will remain more consistent in the future. Slightly smaller areas will also allow better monitoring of fish stocks and fishing activities.

How the angling permit areas changed

Five large angling permit areas were divided into 52 smaller areas, which follow the names and boundaries of the fisheries management areas. The areas being discontinued are 2401 Western Lapland, 3410 Eastern Lapland, 5411 Ostrobothnia and Kainuu, 7413 Southern Finland, and 7412 Sea Areas.

Permit sales for the newly established areas started on 16 December 2025. The new area pages with maps are available on Eräluvat.fi and maps on Excursionmap.fi.

The changes do not affect all Metsähallitus angling permit areas or joint permit areas. There are 95 other site-specific angling areas. These remain unchanged, and their permit sales continue as previously announced. Site-specific areas include smaller fishing destinations such as Langinkoski, Niemisjärvet, Hossa, or Lätäseno.

The areas are designated with the clarification “state waters,” since Metsähallitus permits do not cover waters owned by others within the fisheries management area.

How the trap fishing permit areas changed

At the turn of the year, 45 new trap fishing permit areas were established on state-owned waters, formed from 36 former permit areas. The new areas follow the boundaries of the fisheries management areas. They are designated with the clarification “state waters,” since Metsähallitus permits do not cover waters owned by others within the fisheries management area. Previously, these areas often followed municipal boundaries.

Not all trap fishing permit areas changed: 30 areas remained as they are or underwent minor adjustments, such as updating the four-digit code or revising the boundaries.

Sales of trap fishing permits for 2026 began on 16 December 2025.