Fisheries Management Fee

The fisheries management fee is a mandatory basic fee for fishers who are 18–69 years of age and fish with lures or traps or who catch crayfish. 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 have turned 65 by 31 December 2023.

The obligation to pay the fisheries management fee is age-based, and it must be paid even if you have another permit, you are fishing from your own shore, or you are a pensioner. Payment of the fisheries management fee gives the right to fish with a lure in almost all still water areas in Finland with one rod and lure. The right to fish does not apply to rapids and currents in migratory fish waters or to sites where fishing is restricted or prohibited under other official provisions.

All other types of fishing, such as fishing with several rods or trap fishing, always require a fishing permit from the owner of the water area in addition to the fisheries management fee. These special permits are required for everyone even if there is no fisheries management fee obligation. Special permits are sold by the owner of the water area, such as Metsähallitus for state-owned waters.

Shared waters, shared responsibility

The fisheries management fee is an investment in nature, as the funds from fisheries management fees are used to maintain fishing opportunities throughout Finland. Funds from fisheries management fees are granted to fisheries areas for planning the sustainable use and management of fish stocks and restoration of fishing waters, and to owners of water areas as compensation for the use of their waters for fishing.

Metsähallitus collects the fisheries management fee and pays the income to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry without any fees. The Ministry distributes the funds to, for example, ELY Centres and, upon application, various projects aimed at improving the living conditions of fish and maintaining fish stocks.

Pay the fisheries management fee

Pay the fisheries management fee online or call +358 20 69 2424 (weekdays 9–15). The fisheries management fee can also be paid at permit sales points, where a service fee of EUR 3 is added to the price, except when buying from visitor centres (excl. Koli Nature Centre Ukko).

Information on fisheries management fee

Payment obligation

The fisheries management fee is required if you are 18–69 years of age and will be fishing with lures or traps or crayfishing. Other fishing permits, such as rod, trap, or crayfishing permits, do not exempt you from the obligation to pay the fisheries management fee.

Fishers who have reached the age of 65 or more by 31 December 2023 are an exception: they do not have to pay the fee.

However, it is still possible to pay the fisheries management fee also in these cases – it’s an investment in nature.

The need for the fisheries management fee and angling permits is determined by the fishing method used and age of the angler

FISHING METHOD	ANGLERS 18–69 YEARS OF AGE*	ANGLERS UNDER 18 AND OVER 70 YEARS OF AGE*
Fishing with a simple herring rig, ice fishing and hook and line fishing with one rod	No charge**	No charge**
Fishing with a simple herring rig, ice fishing and hook and line fishing with more than one rod	Fisheries management fee and permission of the water area owner	Permission of the water area owner
Lure fishing with one rod	Fisheries management fee**	No charge**
Lure fishing with more than one rod	Fisheries management fee and permission of the water area owner***	Permission of the water area owner***
Trap fishing and crayfishing	Fisheries management fee and permission of the water area owner***	Permission of the water area owner***

* Fishers who have reached the age of 65 or more by 31 December 2023, i.e., born in 1958, are exempt from the fisheries management fee.

** Not applicable in running and rapids sections of waters with migratory fish stocks, areas prohibited for fishing and special destinations requiring a destination-specific permit. If fishing is permitted in these areas, a permit from the owner of the water area is needed for fishing with one rod in some areas in addition to the fisheries management fee, and in some areas, a permit from the owner of the water area is needed for angling, ice angling and herring rigging.

*** Not applicable for fishing in state-owned public waters at sea, where fishing with multiple rods and recreational trap fishing only requires a fisheries management fee. No permit is required for persons under the age of 18 or over 65.

Fishing rights

The fisheries management fee entitles angler to fish with one rod nearly everywhere in Finland as well as in public sea areas owned by the state. Angling with more than one rod and trap fishing require a fishing permit for a specific water area in addition to payment of the fisheries management fee ***. These are sold by the owner of the water area, such as Metsähallitus for state-owned waters.

There are restrictions in protected water areas, special destinations that require separate permits or in rapids and running waters with migratory fish stocks. The website Kalastusrajoitus.fi contains a map showing all the no-fishing zones and restricted areas (in Finnish and Swedish).

The fisheries management fee does not entitle the angler to fish in Åland.

Payment receipt

The fisheries management fee is an individual fee, but it may also be paid on someone else's behalf. The permit holder's name, contact details and date of birth (not the personal identification number) must appear on the permit. Metsähallitus maintains the fisheries management fee register.

The payment receipt is proof that the fisheries management fee has been paid. Anglers must keep the receipt with them while fishing and present it in paper, plastic or electronic form to the authorities or fishing inspector upon request. A fishing permit is also proof of payment of the fisheries management fee. It is sent along with a Suomu magazine to all payers of the fisheries management fee to a permanent address in Finland.

If an angler does not have the payment receipt with them, they will be ordered to go to a police station within seven days in order to present the receipt that was valid at the time of fishing. The penalty for failing to pay the fishing management fee is a fixed fine of EUR 100.