Finland

The Åland Islands is an autonomous Swedish-speaking region of Finland which forms an archipelago in the Baltic Sea at the mouth of the Gulf of Bothnia between eastern Sweden and south western Finland. There are over 6 500 skerries and islands which make up the Åland Islands.

Ostrobothnia is narrow coastal area which forms part of the Kvarken archipelago. This archipelago of rocks and boulder clay was formed during the last ice-age, about 10 000 years ago and is subject to isostatic uplift of about 1 cm per year or 1 m per century.

Fishing is an important and profitable activity in the FLAG area, especially along the main section of the Kymijoki River. Fish farming is also an important economic activity, with a strong tradition in the area. The existence of local centres of population, as well as the proximity of the Helsinki metropolitan region, guarantees a consistent demand for fish products.

Lapland is the northernmost part of the EU. During long winters (usually six months) the lakes are covered with a 60-80 cm thick layer of ice. The population density is very low, and the number of inhabitants is declining in most areas. The unemployment rates are high, between 13-18%. Tourism is flourishing, however, providing a growing market for local products.

This guide is composed of six factsheets, including real-life examples, designed to help FLAGs ensure better results through developing strategic objectives, selecting indicators and setting targets, collecting data and managing information, and adopting a results-oriented approach in all activities of the FLAG.

FARNET Magazine n° 14 - Autumn 2016

The Bothnian Sea coastline and Lake Pyhäjärvi have a lengthy tradition in the fisheries sector where the main catches include vendace and signal crayfish. About half of Finland´s Baltic herring catch is landed on the harbours along this particular part of the coast. Whitefish, salmon and other fresh water species are similarly important to the area. The processing industry is also highly active here. An additional positive development in recent years has been the growth in pesca-tourism.

The Central Finland FLAG is looking for solutions to grade, scale and gut cyprinid fish, mainly roach.

The Bothhian Sea and Lake Pyhäjärvi FLAG from the south of Finland is open to cooperation ideas. The FLAG has long-term experience in lake fisheries and in the development of fisheries with a strong link to water quality management.

The experience developed by FARNET under Axis 4 of the EFF (2007-2013) is still highly valuable for the current programming period, especially for new FLAGs.