Recreational fishing increased in 2022

According to the 2022 recreational fishing statistics of the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), the number of recreational fishers increased to 1.8 million. The number of fishers aged 25–44 years grew relatively the most, showing an increase of more than 50 per cent from 2020. 

The number of recreational fishermen grew both among men and women. A total of 43 per cent of men and 23 per cent of women went fishing. Fishing increased relatively more among women than among men. In terms of age groups, the number of recreational fishermen decreased only among people aged 18–24 years. Children and young people were the most enthusiastic fishers, as two thirds of boys aged 10–17 years fished in 2022.

“The number of recreational fishermen decreased throughout the early 2000s. Having stabilised around 1.5 million after 2012, the number increased to the 2008 level in 2022,” says Pentti Moilanen, Senior Statistician at Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).

The majority of the catch consists of perch and pike

In 2022, recreational fishermen caught slightly more than 36 million kilos of fish, of which 2.5 million kilos were released alive. Perch and pike accounted for more than half of the catch. They were followed by pikeperch, which accounted for roughly 12 per cent of the total catch.

“Recreational fishermen account for a significant portion of Finland's total fish catch.. In 2022, the recreational  catch was more than five times that of the commercial fishery catch in inland waters. In marine areas, the catches of recreational fishing and commercial fishing were roughly the same if Baltic herring and sprat are excluded from the figures,” says Miikka Husa, Senior Statistician at Luke.

More than half of the recreational fishing catch was caught by angling

Angling accounted for 54 per cent of the recreational fishery catch. In terms of angling equipment, majority of catch was caught by using a spinning rod or by trolling. A total of 33 per cent of the catch was caught using gillnets, while the corresponding figure in 2020 was 36 per cent. Compared to 2020, the most significant increase in the catch was recorded using a rod and line (up by 2 million kilos), trolling (up by 1.3 million kilos) and ice fishing(up by 1.2 million kilos).

Information about the statistics

The information is based on a survey with a sample of 11,000 household-dwellings in various parts of Finland, whose names were obtained from the Population Register. A survey was mailed to them at the beginning of 2023. In addition, some non-respondents were interviewed by telephone. The previous statistics on recreational fishing were compiled in 2020. The data content of the statistics on recreational fishing is available in Luke’s statistical database.