The John Nurminen Foundation, an association founded in 1992 to preserve maritime history, has begun financial support of direct roach (särki) fishing in the waters off Turku. The fishing areas are located in the Archipelago Sea, the part of the Baltic Sea off the southwest coast of Finland that by some definitions contains the largest group of islands in the world.
The goal is to reduce the amount of nutrients in the sea and increase the use of underutilised, unpopular fish species by creating fish patties from roach and bream (lahna). The goal is to create a permanent foodstuff chain, as well as a demand for the cyprinid fish products from both institutional kitchens and consumers. The Foundation reports that the initial response has so far been promising.
The John Nurminen Foundation has been instrumental in several other Baltic Sea projects, like helping to restore the wastewater treatment facilities of St Petersburg and developing better maritime safety. The Local Fishing Project is their first project that has targeted Finland specifically.
The Foundation is connected to John Nurminen Ltd, a successful Finnish distributor of nautical charts and marine electronics and producer of touring exhibitions. The company is also involved in logistics property development and has recently begun operating as an independent investor.

Using the whole fish

Project Manager Miina Mäki says the Foundation’s good reputation has been a valuable asset in its environmental conservation efforts. The Local Fishing Project’s directed fishing uses the cyprinid catch in its entirety: the majority will be processed further for use in the food industry, with unused fish parts used for livestock or fish feed and in energy production.
Fish that are endangered or predatory are not fished; instead, they are released from traps back to the sea. There is also a prohibition against placing traps at river mouths.
The project began as a pilot last year, but already 35 tonnes of fish have been captured. This year the programme hopes to entice more fishermen to join in and increase the catch.

Removes phosphorus

According to some estimates, fishing recycles approximately 600 tonnes of phosphorus annually from waterways to solid ground. Reducing the nutrient loads that originate outside the waterways is one of the primary means to combat eutrophication, the debilitating process that causes increased algae growth and oxygen depletion in waterways.
Directed fishing of cyprinid fish can reduce the nutrient volumes of a marine ecosystem significantly, complementing on-shore measures.
Food production like fish farming is one of the major sources of added nutrients in the Baltic Sea and Archipelago Sea. The Local Fishing Project also seeks to increase consumer awareness about the connection between food production and natural water protection, and improve the image of domestic wild fish as a potential food ingredient.
What is more, including locally-produced fish in the offerings of institutional kitchens, such as school cafeterias, is an ethical and ecological alternative to the purchase of factory-farmed meat or imported fish. If all goes according to plan and the Foundation is able to create a viable market for the fish products, the whole endeavour will also provide many Finnish fishermen with a livelihood.