More salmon fishermen in the northernmost rivers

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Jorgástak in Lainioälven is a popular fishing spot for both local and foreign fishermen. Fishermen come here every year, mainly to attract the elusive salmon to nibble.

Tony Halvarson from Malung has come to fish in Jorgástak and Lainioälven for the tenth year in a row.

– When we arrived, there were huge camps with Finns, 4-5 in groups, but because it has been raining a lot, people have dropped out, so we are almost alone now. But there have been a lot of Finns, and there have been over the years as well, and perhaps more people than in previous years, says Halvarson.

Not noticing more fishermen locally

Bertil Blind, who owns the gas station in Övre Soppero, has long ago sold fishing licenses to the unregulated Lainio River, which annually attracts many salmon fishermen. He says he doesn’t see any difference in fishing license sales from previous years, but on the other hand, the buyers are somewhat different. He thinks this may be because salmon fishing in the Tana River, the border river between Finland and Norway, has been stopped during the summer.

– Now the Norwegians are starting to find their way here, they are looking for other rivers where they can fish for salmon. It was last spring that they appeared for the first time, says Blind.

Blind says that it is otherwise mostly Finns who buy fishing licenses from him. But it is difficult to judge how many fishermen there are on fishing license sales alone, because not everyone fishes legally. Two weeks ago in Jorgástak, only 3 out of 14 fishermen were legal, the County Board’s fisheries inspection shows.

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