Review of the fish market in Finland

In this paper Finnish fish market is described on the basis of the compiled official fisheries statistics and studies carried out by the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute. The total fish consumption in Finland was about 320 000 tonnes in 1996, FIM 1 400 million in value. One half of the fish was used for human consumption and the other half as feed for fur animals. Baltic herring (Clupea harengus) and rainbow trout (Oncorynchus mykiss) are the most important species to Finnish consumers. In 1996, the Finns consumed 30.4 kg fish in ungutted weight per capita, of which these two species covered nearly one half. There are over 200 fish wholesale and processing companies in Finland, most of them are very small. In 1995, 30 000 tonnes of fish, mainly Baltic herring and rainbow trout, were used for processing. In 1992, there were some 250 specialized fish retail stores. However, nowadays the most important shopping places for fresh and processed fish are self-service shops and supermarkets.