Thanks to the combination of an apprenticeship project for young fishers and FLAG support to improve a local fishing business, 33 year old Tanja is now a successful fisherwoman and entrepreneur, selling her fresh and processed produce directly to consumers.

Aging fishermen is among the main challenges of small-scale coastal and inland fisheries in Finland. Indeed, in the South Finland FLAG area there are only 110 full-time fishermen left, and two thirds of them are due to retire in the coming years. At the same time, approximately two thirds of fish consumed in Finland is imported, despite healthy local stocks and good demand for local fish. In this context, attracting young people to professional fishing is a particularly strong priority of the FLAG and Åkerfelt’s Fish, a family fishing company on Löparö island, benefited from FLAG support when fisherman, Kurt Åkerfelt, was set to retire, implying the closure of yet another fishing company in the area. With the support of the South Finland (ESKO) FLAG, Mr Åkerfelt’s daughter, Tanja, participated in a “MasterApprentice” project, along with five other young fishermen. This offered practical training to allow young people to learn from a network of more experienced fishermen. The training allowed her to learn fishing and processing techniques in a practical, “on the job” environment. She also learnt about fishing vessels and received support to identify specific development needs for her father’s company that she planned to take over. In a second phase of the project, the trainee fishermen received advice on applying for company-related grants and, in Tanja’s case, this led to her submitting a project to the FLAG for support to finance the necessary equipment to improve the sales of her father’s fishing business. This included an ice machine to allow her to sell her fish from her mobile sales wagon, including at fairs and fish markets where proper cooling capacity is paramount.