Gulf of Bothnia salmon stocks so low a fisher may be the last in her family to target them

The Gulf of Bothnia’s wild salmon stocks have collapsed to the point that Elina Halonen, a professional fisher from Oulu, may be the last in her family to pursue them, Yle reports.

Strict fishing limits aimed at saving the species have made the trade unviable. Halonen says she cannot justify investing in salmon fishing given the shifting restrictions and uncertain future.

On a recent trip from Kello’s Kiviniemi harbour to a fishing ground off Oulu, Halonen and her father, veteran fisher Lauri Halonen, caught seven salmon and three trout—all of them stocked fish, identifiable by their clipped adipose fins. Wild salmon, they say, are now a rarity in the area.

“Some joke that the herring should replace the salmon on Oulu’s coat of arms,” Elina Halonen remarks.

Researchers at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) report that the wild salmon population in the Gulf of Bothnia has declined sharply in the 2020s. The exact cause remains unclear, though factors include the dwindling stocks of sprat—a key food source for salmon—as well as the Baltic Sea’s deteriorating ecological state, warming waters, and poor survival rates of juvenile salmon during their sea migration.

Luke’s senior researcher Atso Romakkaniemi warns that weak salmon years may persist, as the survival of young salmon at sea remains the most critical issue.

Lauri Halonen points to another, less discussed factor: the growing grey seal population. “Seals don’t just eat the salmon’s liver—they kill for sport,” he says.

Fishing restrictions are currently the only concrete measure proving effective in preserving wild salmon, as they directly reduce mortality. Yet both Halonen and Romakkaniemi stress that the deeper problem is the lack of spawning grounds. Finland once had 35 rivers flowing into the Baltic with wild salmon; now, only two—Torne and Simo—remain functional.

“Restoring more free-flowing rivers, even removing dams, would be necessary to expand spawning areas,” Romakkaniemi notes.

Enforcement of the rules is tight. Fishermen must report salmon catches from the fishing grounds, giving inspectors from the regional vitality centre 30 minutes to arrive at the harbour and verify that each fish carries the mandatory salmon tag before unloading.

Elina Halonen acknowledges the need for oversight but sees little future in salmon fishing. “There are other fish in the sea,” she says. “Salmon isn’t everything.”