Marine areas - Wild sea trout in the Baltic Sea 2025

Published on 28 October 2026

Wild sea trout populations have strengthened over the past 10–15 years in the Gulf of Finland and the Bothnian Sea. However, their status remains poor in rivers in the eastern Gulf of Finland. Population recovery has been supported by habitat restoration and the removal of migration barriers. Gillnet fishing targeting other fish species, in which sea trout may be caught as bycatch, has also declined due to fishing restrictions and changes in fishing practices.

Keeping wild sea trout with an adipose fin has been prohibited in the Gulf of Finland since 2016 and in the Gulf of Bothnia since 2019. In the Tornionjoki River, trout fishing has been prohibited since 2013. Sea trout originating from Finnish rivers have a relatively limited migration range at sea, although in the Gulf of Bothnia they also migrate to Swedish waters and in the Gulf of Finland to the coasts of Estonia and Russia.

Natural reproduction of trout remains low in rivers flowing into the Bothnian Bay. Juvenile densities have increased slightly in the tributaries of the Tornionjoki River but remain low. In the Lestijoki River, juvenile abundance is very low.

In the Isojoki River, which flows into the Bothnian Sea, juvenile densities have increased but could still be higher. A dam in the lower reaches of the river restricts trout migration to spawning areas.

In rivers flowing into the Gulf of Finland, juvenile abundance has generally increased gradually, and the overall status of sea trout populations can now be considered moderate. However, there is considerable variation among years, and juvenile densities have declined recently at some monitoring sites. In the Mustajoki River, juvenile density has gradually recovered after a sharp decline in 2022. In the Virojoki and Urpalanjoki rivers, natural reproduction remains low, partly because migration barriers restrict trout access to spawning areas.

In the Kymijoki River, fish counters at the Koivukoski and Korkeakoski fishways are used to monitor salmon and sea trout migrating upstream. Trout appear to find the Korkeakoski fishway more readily than salmon, although the total number of trout is low.

References

Hyrsky, M., & Kirsi, J. 2023. Vaelluskalojen määrän arviointi Kymijoen Koivukosken ja Korkeakosken haarassa sekä kalateissä vuonna 2022. Kymijoen vesi ja ympäristö ry:n tutkimusraportti no 616. 20 s.

ICES. 2024. Baltic Salmon and Trout Assessment Working Group (WGBAST). ICES Scientific Reports. 6:42. 425 pp. https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.pub.25868665

Lähteenmäki, L., Orell, P., Romakkaniemi, A., & Snickars, M. (2023). Spawning migration behaviour of sea trout (Salmo trutta L.) in a boreal river system: effects of flow conditions and obstacles on migratory activity. Journal of Fish Biology, 102(2), 479–491. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15286

Palm, S. Romakkaniemi, A. Dannewitz, J. Pakarinen, T. Veneranta, L. Vähä, V. ja Broman, A. 2024. Tornionjoen lohi-, meritaimen- ja vaellussiikakannat – yhteinen ruotsalais-suomalainen biologinen selvitys sopivien kalastussääntöjen arvioimiseksi vuodelle 2024. Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet ja Luonnonvarakeskus. 51 s.

Statistics on fishing in Finland

Ammattikalastus merialueella, vuodet 1993–2001. Riista- ja kalatalouden tutkimuslaitos. SVT Ympäristö–Miljö 1994:9, 1995:11, 1996:8, 1997:8, 1998:12, SVT Maa-, metsä- ja kalatalous 1999:4, 2000:7, 2001:46, 2002:57.

Ammattikalastus merellä, vuodet 2002–2013. Riista- ja kalatalouden tutkimuslaitos. SVT Maa-, metsä- ja kalatalous 2003:55, 2004:55; 2005:57, 2007:2, 2008:3, 2009:3, 2010:4, 2011:3, 2012:2, 2013:3, 2014:3.

Suomen virallinen tilasto (SVT): Ammattikalastus merellä 2014. Luonnonvarakeskus. Ammattikalastus merellä 2014 | Luonnonvarakeskus (luke.fi).

Suomen virallinen tilasto (SVT): Kaupallinen kalastus merellä, vuodet 2015–2020. Luonnonvarakeskus. Kaupallinen kalastus merellä | Luonnonvarakeskus (luke.fi).

Suomen virallinen tilasto (SVT): Vapaa-ajan kalastus, vuodet 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 ja 2018. Vapaa-ajankalastus | Luonnonvarakeskus (luke.fi)

Suomi kalastaa 2009 – vapaa-ajankalastuksen saaliit kalastusalueittain. Riista- ja kalatalouden tutkimuslaitos. Riista- ja kalatalous – tilastoja 2011:7.

Vapaa-ajankalastus, vuodet 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012. Riista- ja kalatalouden tutkimuslaitos. SVT Ympäristö–Miljö 1995:2, 1998:3, Maa-, metsä- ja kalatalous 2000:1, 2002:54, 2004:51, 2005:62, Riista- ja kalatalous – tilastoja 2007:7, 2009:6, 2011:7, 2014:1.