3.3 



FINLAND 



Finland's only high-seas vessel was sold in 1981 and has never been replaced. Finland is not expected to 

 play a role in high-seas fisheries in the next few years. 



CONTENTS 



1. General Background 197 



2. Fleet Background 197 



3. Modernization programs 197 



4. Decommissioning Programs 198 



5. Shipyards 198 



6. International Agreements 198 



7. Fleet Dispersal Plans 199 



Sources 199 



Endnotes 203 



1. General Background 



Commercial fishing is not a major economic 

 activity in Finland and the fishing industry appears to 

 be declining in importance. The fisheries catch 

 declined in the past decade as has the size of the 

 fishing fleet and the number of fishermen. Finland 

 imported 31,000 tons of fish in 1991 and 1992 and 

 exported nearly 2,000 tons in both years. An 

 overview of the Finnish fishing industry can be seen 

 in tables 1-3. 



species.^ Most of the commercial fishing takes place 

 in the Baltic Sea where growing pollution, increased 

 competition, and declining stocks have made fishing 

 less attractive in the past few decades. Much of the 

 Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) catch is used as 

 mink feed or increasingly as protein feed for rainbow 

 and brown trout in hatcheries.' 



3. Modernization programs 



2. Fleet Background 



The Finnish fishing fleet has remained 

 unchanged at about 500 registered vessels during the 

 past 10 years.' The fleet includes about 100 herring 

 vessels and approximately 400 vessels used for 

 fishing Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) or other 



The Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and 

 Forestry administers a rebate program for the 

 construction of new fishing vessels. The program 

 originated in the 1950's and the last revisions to the 

 law were made in 1976. The Government provides 

 an interest subsidy for loans raised by fishermen in 

 private banks for an eight-year period. The interest 

 on the loans is linked to the base rate." Fishermen 



197 



