Statistics from the Finnish Natural Resources Institute’s salmon counter in the Torne river show that in the last 24 hours only about 700 salmon per day have passed the salmon counter at Kattilakoski in Övertorneå municipality. This is a significant decrease compared to the approximately 2,300 salmon that could be counted per day during the same period last year.
According to Haparandabladet, up until June 28 this year, 9,505 salmon had been counted at the station, which can be compared with the 23,704 salmon that passed during the same period last year and the 43,326 salmon that were counted in 2021.
The newspaper writes that the fisheries monitoring at the county administration in Norrbotten has determined that there are fewer salmon this year than there have been in the last 20 years, but that the reason for this cannot be determined.
With its 510 km, the Torne River is Europe’s longest free-flowing, undeveloped watercourse. Wild salmon migrate up the river to spawn, attracting many fishing tourists.