Ethical fishing

Sustainable fishing ensures that fish stocks are utilised sensibly and, as a result, there will be plenty of fish for future fishing seasons. Only take fish for your personal consumption.  All unharmed and undersized fish are naturally released back into the water.

Fishing is fun, but to ensure that fish stocks are not depleted, and that we can enjoy good fishing opportunities in the future, we recommend the catch and release method (C&R). Large pike are an extremely important part of the ecosystem. However, in terms of taste, they are not the best food fish and they are too large to be consumed in one meal. For these biological and ethical reasons they should be released. Do photograph and weigh the large pike you catch, but be sure to then release them back into the water to continue their important work.

Ethical Guidelines for Recreational Fishing

•   purchase any necessary permits before you go fishing

•   handle fish with care, so that the fish you do not keep can be released back into the water

•   fish that you intend to keep for cooking should be killed immediately

•   do not take more fish than you need for your daily consumption

•   consider other people in the area, professional fishermen and their traps

•   behave well and do not disturb others

•   do not litter or otherwise harm our sensitive environment

 

The project supports and promotes responsible recreational fishing. We organised our first International Pike Seminar 25-26 September 2014 in Vaasa. You can download the powerpoints and view videos of the seminar presentations here.

Read more about the FAO's guidelines for responsible recreational fisheries here.