FLAG Factsheets by theme

Bothnian Bay is in the northernmost part of the Gulf of Bothnia and Baltic Sea. It freezes over completely every winter. There are several forms of fishing found here: mainly trap and gillnet, trawl fishing (when there is no ice), dragnet and net fishing in winter.

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.

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 Archipelago Sea has the world's largest inland sea archipelago; the landscape is dominated by over 22,000 islands and the coastline is 12,000 km long. The FLAG has an area of 14,000 km2 and the sea accounts for more than half of this. The region includes both densely populated cities and sparsely populated rural and island areas. Of the 370,000 inhabitants, 30,000 live on the islands. Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit the Archipelago Sea every year.

The FLAG area covers the coast of the Gulf of Finland from Hanko to Virolahti and is well known locally for its beautiful archipelago. The regions fishing tradition, fishing methods, and operational culture have been and remain relatively uniform. There are approximately 110 full-time and 200 part-time professional fishers respectively and the area has five operational fish farms.

The East Finland FLAG covers the large lake area of Saimaa located across four eastern provinces of Finland. There is a great potential to develop fisheries due to the large lake area, underexploited fish stocks, good demand for fish and excellent water quality.

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.

Kainuu-Koillismaa is an area of dispersed settlement in North-East Finland with hundreds of lakes. The fishing traditions are strong and vital both among professional and non-professional fishermen. The lakes are mostly underfished and aquaculture has great potential.

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.

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.