Marine fishery catch drops by 23m KGs in 2020

The total catch of commercial marine fishery in 2020 was 112 million kilograms, being 23 million kilograms lower than that in the year before, according to the preliminary estimates of the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).

The total catch was mainly Baltic herring and sprat. In coastal areas, fishermen deployed mainly gillnet and traps. Catches of many species decreased from that in the previous year in the coastal fishery, being lower than the average yearly catch in the 2000s.

According to the provisional statistics of the Luke, last year’s Baltic herring catch totalled 92 million kilos, being 20 million kilos lower than that in 2019.

The total catch of sprat, caught as a by-catch in the fishery targeted for Baltic herring, decreased by four million kilos from that in the previous year to 12 million kilos. One-fifth of the Baltic herring catch and a little more than half of the sprat catch were landed outside Finland, mainly at ports in Estonia and Sweden.

The Baltic herring and sprat catches, primarily caught from the open sea by the trawler fleet contained 93% of the total commercial marine catch. Baltic herring and sprat fishing was very concentrated, with nine trawlers of roughly 40 metres in length accounting for more than half of the total catch. Baltic herring and sprat were caught by 46 trawlers and 259 gillnet or trap vessels. The bulk of the Baltic herring catch was fished in the Bothnian Sea, while sprat was mainly caught from the Archipelago Sea.

“Baltic herring, sprat, cod, and salmon catches are regulated by annually agreed international fishing quotas, the goal of which is to ensure the sustainable use of fish stocks. Finland’s annual Baltic herring quota has ranged between 62 and 175 million kilos during the 2000s. Last year’s Baltic herring quota of 98 million kilos was reached almost in full,” said Luke Senior Statistician Pirkko Söderkultalahti.

The sprat quota was reached in full, while 15% of the salmon quota remained unused. The status of the cod populations in the Baltic Sea is very poor, and quotas have been reduced significantly in recent years. Ten years ago, Finland’s total cod catch was more than one million kilos, while last year’s catch was only 23 tonnes, less than half of the cod quota.