CRAYFISHERIES IN FINLAND, A SHORT OVERVIEW

Abstract

Crayfish trapping and activities related to crayfishing have traditionally been lucrative businesses in rural Finland. The catch itself, varying in the 1990’s from 2 to 4 millions crayfish annually, is worth 4 to 8 millions euros. Crayfishing has been a crucial part of small-scale business farms with access to productive crayfish stocks. The catch has so far been mainly noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) but stockings with signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) during the past 15 years have started to produce commercial scale catches in Southern Finland. This has had a strong impact on commercial markets and has encouraged stocking of signal crayfish to an increasing number of water bodies, both legally and illegally. Noble crayfish stocks, on the other hand, have suffered from crayfish plague (Aphanomyces astaci) and watercourse construction. Up to 10 commercially productive noble crayfish stocks have been infected with crayfish plague annually. Most of the signal crayfish stocks have been infected as well, with the price being paid in loss of commercial value and even population collapse. The traditional way to catch crayfish is trapping during the crayfish season, with an increasing number of crayfish farmers competing for the same markets. Crayfish tourism is also taking its first steps, with a lot of opportunities for services targeted at urban upper class customers both in domestic and foreign markets. The future of Finnish crayfisheries remains uncertain at the moment with the following processes under way: spread of signal crayfish northwards, spread of crayfish plague, declining noble crayfish catch, restructuring of the commercial crayfish markets into several fractions, increasing demand for noble crayfish stockings, increasing demand for market size noble crayfish and demand for processed crayfish.

Keywords

• crayfish
• catch
• wild stocks
• disease
• business