Decision raises hopes for salmon restoration in Finland’s Kemijoki River

A decision regarding the Kemijoki River has raised hopes for the restoration of wild salmon populations in Finland. Jukka Viitala, director of the Lohijokitiimi association, which has advocated for the natural salmon population for decades, views the new ruling from the regional administrative agency (Avi) favorably. The agency has mandated that hydropower companies design fish passages associated with multiple power plants.

Viitala expresses optimism over the potential for salmon and sea trout to navigate past five power plants and eventually reach the Ounasjoki River via Rovaniemi. “If we want to preserve migratory fish, we must pursue a path where fish can naturally spawn,” he asserts.

However, the issue of restoring the salmon population has been contentious since the river was dammed nearly 80 years ago to support an industrializing society. This obstruction stopped salmon from migrating into the expansive water systems of the Kemijoki and Ounasjoki rivers. Efforts to reintegrate salmon have included constructing two fish passages at the Isohaara power plant and transporting juvenile salmon upstream by truck, but results have been disappointing.

The Ely Center’s fisheries authority, in 2017, demanded the establishment of fish passages on the Kemijoki River. The Avi’s conclusions were expected to be finalized in summer 2024, but many of the Ely Center’s requirements, including timelines and the effectiveness of the fish passages, were softened.

Viitala remains skeptical about the Avi’s suggestion that forming self-sustaining salmon and sea trout populations is “extremely challenging.” He questions the barriers that prevent natural population recovery, particularly if stricter regulation is pursued.

Viitala calls for open discussions with hydropower companies regarding operations that could facilitate fish migration, emphasizing the need for sustainable electricity production alongside fish restoration efforts. Despite his optimism, he finds it disheartening that the Avi did not require fish passages for some central Kemijoki power plants. With many details of the 900-page ruling still unclear, Viitala continues to sift through the paperwork.