Commercial inland fishery 2016 and 2017

The commercial inland fishery catch totalled 5.8 million kilos in 2016 and 6.5 million kilos in 2017. During both years, the crayfish catch totalled approximately 850,000 crayfish, with the signal crayfish accounting for roughly 95%. In the previous statistical year in 2014, the total catch was 6 million kilos.
The total catch value was EUR 14.9 million in 2016 and EUR 15.3 million in 2017. In the previous statistical year in 2014, the nominal catch value was EUR 11.7 million.
Vendace is the most important inland fish species measured by catch volume (nearly 50% of the total catch) and value (42–45% of the total catch value). The commercial vendace catch has been stable throughout the 2000s (2.8 and 3.2 million kilos in 2016 and 2017 respectively). The vendace catch values of EUR 6.1 million and EUR 5.8 million were a little higher than before.
Measured by the catch value, pikeperch was the second most important inland fish species following vendace (EUR 4.5 million). The pikeperch catch value nearly doubled from 2014. Combined, these two species accounted for three quarters of the total value of the commercial inland fish catch.
Signal crayfish was the third most valuable inland species. Its total catch value was EUR 0.9 million in 2016 and EUR 1.1 million in 2017. Of the total value of the crayfish catch, signal crayfish accounted for roughly 90% and noble crayfish made up 10%.
The catch of removal fishing (biomanipulation) decreased significantly from previous years, being 0.5 million kilos in 2016 and 0.7 million kilos in 2017. In 2014, it was approximately 1.7 million kilos, accounting for more than one-fourth of the total catch.
There were nearly 1,800 registered commercial inland fishers in Finland in 2016 and 2017. In 2014, when registration was voluntary for part-time professional fishers, there were roughly 400 registered professional fishers. Since 2016, all commercial fishers have been obligated to register. However, some fishers were not engaged in any fishing activities, and many caught small catches.