Five charged over Hukkajoki mussel deaths, damages estimated at €2.2 million

Prosecutors have filed charges against five individuals in connection with the 2024 destruction of protected freshwater pearl mussels in Hukkajoki river in Suomussalmi, Yle reports.

The indictment, submitted to Kainuu District Court on Tuesday, accuses the defendants of environmental pollution, gross violations of nature conservation laws, and gross violations of animal protection laws. Prosecutors are also seeking corporate fines totalling nearly €2 million from three companies involved.

An estimated 3,283 mussels died after a forest machine crossed the river nearly 400 times during summer 2024, according to an assessment by the state-owned forest management company Metsähallitus. The total environmental and economic damage, including harm to the mussel population and fisheries, is valued at €2.2 million.

Five other suspects, including three Stora Enso employees, a forestry contractor’s CEO, and a terrain marker, will not face charges. Prosecutors stated that no evidence emerged during the preliminary investigation to suggest their responsibility for the incident. A forest owner and a Stora Enso forestry expert, who were also questioned, were not among those cleared of charges.

According to Maaseudun Tulevaisuus, the charged individuals include two subcontractor representatives and one main contractor representative. All defendants have denied the allegations during the preliminary investigation.

Stora Enso confirmed that the employee responsible for the logging operations is no longer with the company.

Court proceedings are pending, with the exact trial date yet to be announced. Further details about the defendants will be made public once the district court begins handling the case.

A May 2024 email from the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY) notified the forest owner and an unnamed Stora Enso employee about the presence of the highly endangered mussels in Hukkajoki and the associated restrictions. The following day, a terrain marker observed and photographed the mussels at the crossing site, reporting the finding to a Stora Enso employee and a forest work supervisor.

Prosecutors allege that the terrain marker and supervisor proposed alternative transport routes to avoid crossing the river, but the suggestion was not followed.

In August 2024, a biologist conducting a species inventory witnessed a forest machine crossing the river and stopping the driver. The biologist informed the operator that the river was protected and crossing it was illegal, but the driver continued after the conversation.