Skip to main content

Taivalkoski research infrastructure

Taivalkoski's research infrastructure is located along the Ohtaoja River, which flows into the Iijoki River. Ohtaoja has been an important sea trout spawning river during the natural state of the Iijoki River.

Photo: Eetu Ahanen / Luken arkisto.

Aquaculture activities started in Taivalkoski in 1966 and the facility was renovated to its current size in the 1990s. Since its establishment, the main task of the facility has been to conserve fish genes through broodstock farming. The broodstock of salmonid predators, whitefish and grayling form a living gene bank.

The conservation of fish gene stocks is also supported by the production of roe and fry at the Taivalkoski site for fisheries obligations and for domestication and restocking. The production and sale of primary aquaculture material for the needs of compulsory farming and the private aquaculture sector is also significant.

Fisheries research focuses on various fisheries and environmental monitoring, aquaculture studies and other research projects. A unique fish scale archive is preserved and maintained in Taivalkoski, containing scale samples and data from more than one million fish units recorded over a hundred years.

Aquaculture facility

  • Spawn production hall (incl. isolation department)
  • Fry production hall
  • Broodstock hall 
  • Measurement and preparation facilities
  • The farm uses several different types of tanks for rearing fry and broodstock.
  • The maximum permitted flow of the facility is 800 l/s.
  • The possibility of utilizing groundwater.
  • A facility certified P0 by the Finnish Food Authority’s fish health service.

Areas of research

  • Diversity of fish stocks
  • Fisheries monitoring

Contact person

Allow marketing cookies to show the embedded content.