Näätämö River salmon fishing at risk, threatening Indigenous youth’s future in the region

The Näätämö River, a lifeline for young Indigenous residents in Finland’s remote northeast, may face a total ban on salmon fishing—a move that could force locals to abandon their ancestral homeland, according to a young fisherman from the Skolt Sámi community.

Vesa Orassalo, a Skolt Sámi student training to become a teacher, describes the river along the Finnish-Norwegian border as his “second home,” where generations of his family have gathered each summer to fish. “Our weekdays are spent on the river, weekends at home,” he said. For Orassalo and many others, the chance to continue this tradition is a key reason to return after studies.

But that future is now uncertain. Salmon stocks in the Näätämö have dwindled, and while local net fishing remains permitted for now, a full suspension of all salmon fishing—on both the Finnish and Norwegian sides—is under discussion, said Veikko Feodoroff, a Skolt Sámi representative. The Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has proposed allowing locals just two weeks of net fishing in late July, though no final decision has been made by state forest agency Metsähallitus.

Norway’s unilateral move to open permit sales for rod fishing on May 18, despite ongoing bilateral talks, has drawn sharp criticism. Feodoroff called the decision “wrong,” arguing that Norway had agreed to stricter limits this year. The local Norwegian fishing board, which oversees the river’s salmon stocks under historic agreements, has the authority to set or halt fishing rules mid-season.

Feodoroff stressed that river fishing is not the core problem. “Our traditional catch has actually decreased,” he said. “The real damage happens at sea—overfishing and climate change are destroying the stocks.” Scientific studies on the nearby Teno River, another key salmon waterway, have similarly pointed to marine fishing as a major factor in declining returns.

Orassalo called for stronger local cooperation across the border, noting that Finnish and Norwegian communities on the Näätämö too often clash over regulations instead of sharing knowledge. “We’re all suffering because of what’s happening in the wider world,” he said. “Researchers say the biggest problems are at sea. We should focus on that, not fight over the riverbank.”

Finnish authorities have not issued lure-fishing permits for the Näätämö in years.