Aquaculture in Finland

Who we are:

The Finnish Fish Farmers’ Association, established in 1964, is an advocacy organisation representing the interests of fish farmers. Our member companies produce over 90% of the farmed fish in Finland.

We are a member of the Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP).
The Fish Farmers’ Association is the unified voice of Finland’s aquaculture sector. We promote the sustainable development of aquaculture and present the industry’s views.
The Finnish Fish Farmers’ Association wants to engage in constructive cooperation with political decision-makers and authorities.
The Finnish Fish Farmers’ Association promotes industry research, innovations and food exports.

The objectives of our activities are:

To ensure the availability of Finnish farmed fish in the Finnish food market.
To promote the protection of endangered fish stocks through stocking production.
To secure the competitiveness of Finnish fish farming.
To bring together stakeholders operating within fish farming.
To support the European Union’s goals of strategic autonomy and food self-sufficiency.

Fish farming in Finland

There are about 200 fish farming companies operating in Finland. Of these, 75% operate in inland waters and 25% in marine areas. Most of the fish fry are raised inland, while most food fish are raised in marine areas.

Approximately 16,600 tonnes of food fish are produced annually for sale in Finland. The value of food fish production is about 100 million euros.
Most of the farmed food fish in Finland is rainbow trout.
About 11,000 tonnes of food fish are farmed in marine areas and just over 3,000 tonnes in inland waters.
Approximately 2,000 tonnes of food fish are produced in recirculating aquaculture systems.

Fry production in Finland

Fish are farmed not only for food production but also as fry, which are released into natural waters to strengthen endangered fish stocks and support recreational fishing.

About 50 million fish fry are produced for stocking and further growth.
The value of fry production is about 24 million euros.

Observations by the Finnish Fish Farmers’ Association:

There is a need for increased sustainable farmed fish production in the European Union.
The rules for fish production must be the same for all companies across the EU.
The Finnish government program aims to increase farmed fish production.
Growth targets can be achieved by investing in the operating conditions of companies.
The regulation and environmental permitting of fish farming should be simplified.
Fish welfare requires consideration of their special characteristics in farming.