Fishing

If you want to fish, you usually need to pay a fisheries management fee and often also get a separate fishing permit. The fisheries management fee is a mandatory basic fee that fishers must pay and it is valid throughout Finland. Fishing permits are sold by the owners of the water areas. You can obtain fishing permits for fishing on state-owned waters from Metsähallitus.

The fisheries management fee is required if you are 18–69 years of age and will be fishing with lures or traps or crayfishing. This means that you always need to have paid a fisheries management fee when fishing with a spinning rod, nets or traps. The exception is fishers who were 65 years old or older by 31 December 2023.

When you only use a single rod for fishing (e.g. a spinning rod), the fisheries management fee is a sufficient permit in many parts of Finland. If you fish with several rods or with traps or you want to catch crayfish, you need a fishing permit from the owner of the water area in addition to paying the fisheries management fee. You also need a permit from the owner of the water area when you fish in rapids and flowing waters or at special sites. Most Metsähallitus’ fishing sites fall into this category, which means that you must purchase a separate fishing permit in addition to the fisheries management fee. 

The purchase of a permit is an investment in nature, as Metsähallitus uses the proceeds from the permits for the management of fisheries and securing the future of fishing in Finland. The catch report submitted by anglers also plays an important role in planning sustainable fishing arrangements.