Recreational fishing 2020

According to the statistics on recreational fishing in 2020, the popularity of fishing has increased among children and young people, as well as pensioners. The number of fishermen increased relatively the most among women of 18 to 24 years of age, by as much as 50 per cent. Correspondingly, the percentage of working age men from all recreational fishermen has decreased.

• In Finland, the number of recreational fishermen totaled 1.5 million in 2020. In 2018 the number stood at the same level. Of the Finnish population, more than one in four –  27 per cent – is engaged in recreational fishing. Of Finnish males, approximately 37 per cent are recreational fishermen, while 18 per cent of females go fishing.
• The catch made by recreational fishermen increased from 22 million kilos to over 30 million kilos compared with 2018. The perch catch increased from 6.5 million kilos to 11.4 million kilos and vendace catch from 0.7 million kilos to 2.7 million kilos. The pikeperch catch decreased from 3.3 million kilos to 2.7 million kilos.
• A total of 36 per cent of the catch was caught using gillnets, while the corresponding figure in 2018 was 31 per cent. The catch recorded by using a spinning rod or by trolling accounted for 28 per cent of the total catch.
• Fish with the adipose fin removed accounted for 65 per cent of the trout catch, 31 per cent of the Atlantic salmon catch and 90 per cent of the freshwater salmon catch.
• The information is based on a survey with a sampling of 11,000 people living in various parts of Finland, whose names were obtained from the Population Register. A survey was mailed to them at the beginning of 2021. In addition, some of those who failed to respond to the survey were interviewed by telephone.