Muikku’s consumption depends on older people, and even the reputation of clean local food does not boost sales. Fishermen suffer in the crossfire of cheap prices and high costs.
– Päijänte has a strong muikku population, so there is plenty of fish, Jorma Kääpä knows.
You can’t get rot without a mug. That’s why gutted muikku at fish counters in stores in autumn is a standard item.
Abundant supply means that the price remains low. At its lowest, the price per kilo may be around five euros. It’s a bit much, especially when the prices of other fish have gone up. Hätälä Oy, which processes and cares for fish, says that currently only bream and roach are cheaper.
The price of salmon dropped drastically during the end of summer from last winter’s price spike. It sells better than moving. Filleted zander is also a sure bestseller at fish counters. Muikku’s sales suffer even if there is a herring fillet on the counter.
Fish is cheap, catching is not
The low price of Muikku annoys fishermen in particular. The call tour for the fishermen of Päijänne speaks in a harsh language. The price paid for fish has remained at the same level for years, but the costs have even tripled. During the war in Ukraine even more sharply.
The increase in the cost level has contributed to the fact that, even during the hottest fishing season, it is only worth going fishing when there are enough orders and the catch is certain.
The decline in Muikku’s popularity can also be seen in the statistics.
According to the Norwegian Natural Resources Agency’s catch statistics, the value of the walleye catch is clearly higher than that of the pike, even though the pike catch is larger in kilograms. Due to the high costs, many professional fishermen in Päijänne have had to reduce the number of fishing days by up to a third.
– If the stock of muikku was any worse, the boats would stay at the pier. Unfortunately, this year Päijänne’s muikku is medium-sized, and not the traditional big muikku, which would fetch a slightly better price, Jorma Kääpä laments.
\”When one muikun-eater leaves, no new one will take its place\”
One of the fiercest competitors of the muikko is the rush of people.
– When one muikun-eater leaves, no new one will take its place. It’s a natural law, says Jorma Kääpä.
– Now I ended up with domestic rainbow trout, because you can easily make soup from it, he says.