Total fish production 2019

Fish and fishery

Statistics

Total fish production refers to the total volume of catch from commercial and recreational fishing, as well as the volume of fish farmed for food. The total fish production was at its lowest, at 124 million kilos, in 1991 when the demand for Baltic herring decreased due to an economic downturn affecting the fur industry, and at its largest in 2016 due to a record catch of Baltic herring. In 2019, 179 million kilos of fish were produced in Finland.
The catch volume varied between 105 and 192 million kilos in 1980–2019. A total of 50–80% of the total catch consisted of Baltic herring and sprat caught by commercial fishermen. The majority of this was sold as feed for fur animals and fish. In 2019, commercial fishermen caught 135 million kilos of fish from Finland’s sea areas.
The commercial inland fishery catch was 6.4 million kilos, with vendace being the most important fish species in terms of volume. It accounted for 40% of the total catch. The commercial inland pikeperch catch increased strongly during the 2010s, with more than 80% of the commercial pikeperch catch being caught from inland waters at the end of the decade. Pikeperch was the most valuable species in commercial inland fishery in 2019. In the 1990s, 90% of the commercial pikeperch catch was caught in the sea areas. Baltic herring and sprat were followed by the perch and pike catches, with perch and pike also being the most important species in recreational fishing in 2019. The volume of recreational catch was largest in the first half of the 1990s, making nearly half of the total catch in 1992. The recreational catch of 22 million kilos in 2018 accounted for 13% of the total catch in Finland.
The catches of Baltic herring, sprat, cod and salmon, in particular, have varied considerably over the years due to demand for fish used as animal feed, changes in abundance of fish stocks and the fishing quotas determined on the basis of these, as well as modifications of fishing techniques and methods.

Approximately 15.3 million kilos of fish were farmed for human consumption in Finland in 2019. Of this, rainbow trout accounted for 90%, with the remaining proportion mainly consisting of European whitefish.
Disclosure of statistics 16.2.2022 has been moved due to challenges in the production process. The new release date will be announced later.

Total fish production in Finland

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