Atlantic salmon and trout will be transferred to the Iijoki and Livojoki rivers during the summer of 2022. Over-transfers support the emergence of salmonid stocks stigmatised in the river. This summer, we are also experimenting with the transfer of smolts, i.e. trout and salmon migrating downhill.
Cooperative Team Kala is responsible for the practical implementation of transfers of both high-altitude fish and smolt. The over-transfer permit is in the Iijoki fishing area. Over-transfers are made possible by the Iijoki migratory fish project 2020-2022.
Commercial fishermen catch floating fish from the estuary. The fish are transported in water tanks by car to waters above power plants. Approximately 200 specimens are expected to be transferred. The aim is to carry out the transfers during June, but if necessary, the transfers will continue in late summer.
“We treat fish as gently as possible, avoiding stress. We stop the movement of ascendants when the water temperature rises to 16°C.’, tells Henri Kylli Cooperative from Team Kala.
Removals of eskers enable the reproduction of Atlantic salmon and trout in the free rapids and streams of the Ii River. Smolt transfers, on the other hand, enable the safe bypassing of five dams and access to sea migration. In Haapakoski, the smolts are guided by a guide fence to the downward migration path and in the path itself to the fish catching cages.
The measures of the Iijoki migratory fish project 2020-2022 include the construction of a downward migration path for smolts to Haapakoski, the restocking of small juveniles and the over-transfer and monitoring of salmonids. The project is implemented by PVO-Vesivoima Oy, the Lapland ELY Centre, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ii, Oulu, Pudasjärvi, Taivalkoski, Kuusamo, the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, the Iijoki fishing area, Metsähallitus, the North Ostrobothnia ELY Centre and the Natural Resources Institute Finland. The project is coordinated by the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. The total budget of the project is approximately EUR 2.2 million.
The project has received funding from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's NOUSU programme, which improves the living conditions of migratory fish and aims to restore the natural reproduction of migratory fish stocks in Finland's current waters.
More information on the Iijoki migratory fish project 2020-2022: Mirko Laakkonen, Project Manager, Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, tel. +358 40 685 4036, mirko.laakkonen(at)pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi
