Marine areas - Pikeperch 2025

Published 19 Oct 2026

The catch of pikeperch on the coast was slightly higher than in the previous year. The catch has now increased for four consecutive years and is only slightly below the long-term average level. The increase is mainly due to a larger pikeperch stock biomass, as fishing effort has not increased.

In the Archipelago Sea, the 2018–2021 year classes are estimated to be relatively strong according to the latest stock assessment conducted using virtual population analysis (VPA), although the estimate for the 2021 year class remains highly uncertain (Figure 65). The 2015–2017 year classes were weaker than average and are not expected to contribute substantially to future catches. Consequently, the 2026 pikeperch catch will depend largely on the relatively strong 2018–2021 year classes. Of the pikeperch caught by gillnets in 2025, the 2019 year class accounted for 38%, the 2018 year class for 18%, the 2020 year class for 22%, and the 2021 year class already for 13%, suggesting that the initial assessment of its moderate strength may prove correct. In the Archipelago Sea, year-class strength of pikeperch depends largely (approximately 80%) on July-August temperatures and on density-dependent effects of the spawning stock that limit juvenile production (Heikinheimo et al. 2014). The strongest year classes have generally originated during a single warm summer from a spawning stock of only moderate size (e.g. 1988 and 1997).

According to the VPA assessment, the abundance of harvestable-sized pikeperch in the Archipelago Sea has started to increase after declining until 2022 (Figure 66). The main reason is likely that the relatively strong consecutive year classes of 2018–2021 have now partly or fully recruited to the fishery. Estimated spawning stock biomass began increasing already in 2021 and has continued to grow. In 2024, the estimated spawning stock biomass (1,775 t) was clearly above the long-term average (1981–2024 mean = 1,266 t). The average size of pikeperch in the Archipelago Sea is larger than previously (Figure 67), resulting in a greater total biomass.

The 2025 commercial pikeperch catch along the Finnish coast (316 tonnes in total, preliminary estimate) increased slightly compared with the previous year (+14%, +38 tonnes) and was only slightly below the long-term average (334 tonnes, 1980–2025) (Figure 57)
The pikeperch catch increased from the previous year in all marine areas except Åland and the sea area south of Åland. The Archipelago Sea remains the most important pikeperch fishing area along the coast, accounting for 43% of the total catch. The Gulf of Finland contributed slightly more than one-fifth of the catch, while the Bothnian Sea accounted for 22%. Åland and the sea area south of Åland produced 11% of the catch, and the Bothnian Bay 4%.

In 2024, the estimated total recreational catch of pikeperch in marine waters (the most recent published estimate) was 363 tonnes, clearly exceeding the corresponding commercial catch (Figure 61). In the Gulf of Finland, catch estimates have fluctuated considerably but have been lower in recent years than previously (Figure 58). In the Archipelago Sea, no clear trend is evident, although the 2024 estimate was relatively high. In the more northern areas, recreational pikeperch catches have generally increased, with the exception of 2024, probably due to the northward expansion of the species and improved survival of juveniles (Olin et al. 2023).

Commercial gillnet fishing effort targeting pikeperch in the Archipelago Sea (261,191 gillnet days) declined markedly in 2025 compared with the previous year (Figure 59). Gillnet fishing effort in the Gulf of Finland (76,456 gillnet days) also decreased. The 2025 gillnet CPUE in the Archipelago Sea (403 g per gillnet day) increased substantially and was the second highest since 1998. In statistical rectangle 52 of the Archipelago Sea, CPUE has remained high in recent years but declined markedly in 2025 (532 g per gillnet day). In statistical rectangle 47, CPUE increased considerably (374 g per gillnet day). In the Gulf of Finland, CPUE (575 g per gillnet day) rose sharply and was the highest recorded during the study period. Recruitment of the relatively strong 2018–2021 year classes to the fishery and the increase in mean weight of pikeperch are likely the main reasons for the higher CPUE values.

Data

VPA is based on an estimate of age-group-specific natural mortality, pikeperch catches from national commercial and recreational fishing statistics, age distributions and average weights estimated based on Luke's sample data. In VPA's stock assessment, the last few years are the most uncertain, and their results show the most variation between different updates. The results present updates based on data for 2022 and 2023 and two different values of terminal fishing mortality (i.e. fishing mortality in the last year). For more information on the VPA method used, see Olin  & Raitaniemi 2022.

The estimate of regional catches of pikeperch in recreational fishing involves great uncertainty, which is reflected in the strong fluctuation of estimates, especially in the Bay of Bothnia.

CPUE is not a problem-free indicator of fish stock abundance (Olin & Raitaniemi 2022), but changes in pikeperch stock and average weight support CPUE observations.

References

Heikinheimo, O., Pekcan-Hekim, Z. & Raitaniemi, J. 2014. Spawning stock–recruitment relationship in pikeperch Sander lucioperca (L.) in the Baltic Sea, with temperature as an environmental effect. Fisheries Research 155: 1–9.

Olin, M & Raitaniemi, J. 2022a. Merialueen kuha. Julkaisussa: Kalakantojen tila vuonna 2021 sekä ennuste vuosille 2022 ja 2023: Silakka, kilohaili, turska, lohi, meritaimen, siika, kuha, ahven ja hauki. Luonnonvara- ja biotalouden tutkimus 72/2022: 89–107.

Olin, M., Heikinheimo, O., Lehtonen, T. & Raitaniemi, J. 2023. Long-term monitoring of pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) populations under increasing temperatures and predator abundances in the Finnish coastal waters of the Baltic Sea. Ecology of freshwater fish.