Rapu season opens with modest catches in Säkylä’s Pyhäjärvi

Säkylä’s Pyhäjärvi yielded modest crab catches on the second day of the Finnish crayfish season, with professional fishermen reporting below-target hauls.

Antti-Pekka Lehtonen, a commercial fisherman, said his first traps contained only about half the volume he had expected, attributing the shortfall to moulting activity among the crayfish or to locating traps in suboptimal spots.

Timo Ruokonen, a research scientist at the Natural Resources Institute Finland, said overall catches are expected to reach normal levels because water temperatures have stabilized and crayfish are likely to be active.

Lehtonen plans to continue fishing daily until early October, citing steady demand. Ruokonen advised enthusiasts to postpone crayfish feasts for about a week to allow catches to build.

Variable weather so far has not significantly disrupted crayfish behaviour, Ruokonen said, though prolonged heat could raise stress levels and increase disease risk, particularly in river systems.