Compiler: Natural Resources Institute Finland 
Statistics home page: http://stat.luke.fi/en/commercial-marine-fishery
Main topic: Agriculture, forestry and fisheries 
Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Yes 

European Statistical System (ESS): Yes

Description
Commercial marine fishery statistics comprise information on the number of commercial marine fishermen, the volume and value of the catch and the distribution of the catch and fishing effort.

Data content
The catch by commercial marine fishermen is provided per species, by month, by area and by fishing gear. The data is based on periodic catch declarations by commercial fishermen.

Classifications used
The catch is declared per statistical rectangle, formed on the basis of map coordinates, the size of which is approximately 55km x 55km. In the statistics, the volume and distribution of the catch is given according to the regions used by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).

Data collection methods and data sources
Everyone engaged in commercial marine fishery is obliged to provide catch declarations. Actors may be natural persons (person or business) or legal persons (limited liability company, a limited partnership or general partnership), engaged in fishing for commercial purposes. The catch declaration is submitted on paper or in electronic format. Such information is collected into a database maintained by the Southwest Finland Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment and the Provincial Government of Åland.

Updating frequency
The statistics are published annually.

Time of completion or release
An initial estimate on the catch for the previous year is published in January, and the final estimate between May and June.

Time series
Information is available from 1980.

Keywords
catch per unit of effort, catch, commercial fishermen, fishing effort, fishing vessel, marine fishery