Finnish fisheries industry aims at sustainable fishery. Fisheries industry comprises fishing at sea and in inland waters, aquaculture, fish breeding and fish trade. The sector is of great economic and social importance especially in sparsely populated areas, where it may be hard to find alternative livelihoods. The development of the sector has been quite positive in recent years: production volumes have been stable and total employment has grown. However, there are differences between different parts of the fishery production chain so that the situation is much weaker in primary production.

After the mid-1990s the total employment in the fishery companies fell to less than 3,000, but by 2004 the number of jobs had again risen to about 3,250. Fishing is still an important employer, but today there are more jobs in processing and trade than in aquaculture. In 2004 fishing employed about 900 persons full-time, retail trade about 600 and whole sector about 500 and aquaculture about 450 persons.

The Members States must comply with the rules of the common fisheries policy of the EU. The main objective of this policy is the sustainable use of fish resources. The Department of Fisheries and Game of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry prepares the matters dealt with at the EU Fisheries Council.

The Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute produces information on the natural fish resources in Finland. The Institute monitors and estimates the populations and compiles statistics on them with the aim of ensuring the diversity of fish populations.

Organisations in the fisheries sector:

Finnish Fishermen's Association (net pages in Finnish and Swedish)
Finnish Fish Farmers' Association (net pages in Finnish and Swedish)
Central Union of Fisheries
Pro Fish (net pages in Finnish and Swedish)
Finnish Food and Drink Industries' Federation / Fish Processing Industries' Association