Fishing in Länsi Uusimaa

Common fishing rights and the fisheries management fee  

Angling with a hook and line, ice-fishing and herring fishing with a rig are common fishing rights. They are free of charge for everyone. For all other types of fishing, you need to pay the fisheries management fee. If you are under 18 or over 70, you are exempt from this fee.  

The fisheries management fee entitles you to lure fishing using one rod, reel and lure in the whole of Finland, except Åland islands or areas where fishing is prohibited. You can check prohibited areas at the website Kalastusrajoitus.fi.   
 
You can buy the fisheries management fee as a yearly, weekly or daily permit. Purchase the fisheries management fee online from eraluvat.fi, in the Eräluvat app, or by calling Metsähallitus’ toll-free service number +358 20 69 2424, weekdays from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.  

Check fishing permit table here.  

Local fishing permits  

Fishing permits are available for the water areas of the City of Hanko, covering over 10,000 hectares. Permits can be purchased via the Visithanko website and at the Hanko City Library. Additional information about the city’s fishing permits is available by phone at +358 40 568 0033. Note that the city has made the following decision regarding fishing in the marinas: “All fishing is prohibited in the harbor areas, except for angling (hook and line fishing) outside of the boat berths. Angling must not interfere with the use of the marina.”

Metsähallitus sells fishing permits for its water areas around Bergö and Högholmen, Ögonpur, and for a water area at Edesbacken. Fishing permits can be purchased through the Eräluvat website.

Crayfishing

Crayfishing always requires the permission of the owner of the water area.

Signal crayfish almost always carry crayfish plague, and therefore the waters where they occur should be considered as sources of the disease. Please note that moving wet or damp objects (crayfish traps, nets, boats, etc.) from waters with signal crayfish to other waters may spread crayfish plague.

Keep your fishing permits with you!  

Keep the receipts for your fishing licenses with you when fishing, as well as your ID. You will have to show them to the fishing supervisor upon request.  

Fishing supervision  

Fishing is supervised by fishing supervisors and various authorities, including the Police, the Finnish Border Guard, Metsähallitus, the ELY Centre, and Customs.  

For non-urgent matters regarding fishing supervision, you can contact the fisheries regions’ supervisor by e-mail. If the matter is urgent, we ask you to contact the coast guard or the police. 

Fredrik Björklöf
Email: fredrik.bjorklof(at)hotmail.com

For minor offenses, the fishing supervisor can issue a warning. In the case of more significant offenses, the matter is referred to the police, who may issue fines or forward the case to the prosecutor. For an unpaid fisheries management fee, the penalty is always a fixed petty fine (100 euros).  

Report your catches!  

As of January 1, 2025, it is mandatory for recreational fishers to report their catch if it is a salmon, lake salmon, trout, eel, char (in Kuolimo, Saimaa, Vuoksen), grayling or pink salmon. The catch must be reported within 14 days, even if the fish has been released back into the water. The report can be submitted via the Omakala app, by e-mail or by phone. 

Along the coast, the catch must be reported by municipality and by statistical grid. Länsi Uusimaa fishing area is located in two different statistical grids: 48H2 and 48H3.

More detailed information about catch reporting can be found here.