Finnish Kukkolankoski
A strong living fishing culture
Kukkolankoski, also known as Jylhä, has been a lucrative fishing spot for a long time. The Torne River, which flows in the middle of the village of Kukkola, divides the inhabitants into two villages, the western and the eastern. On both sides of the river, there is still a strong fishing culture in which traditions play a central role. Fish is mostly catched with a dipnet, but traditions also live on in burbot and lamprey fishing. Fishing has been largely organised by the Community. In Kukkola, Finland, you can still see features related to old hunting cultures, which have already disappeared in many places.
Old customs that still live on
Many traditional customs and beliefs are still alive in the fishing community, which can be seen in fishing, the community’s festive customs and the distribution of catches. According to tradition, Queen Christina, who ruled from 1632 to 1654, granted the Kukkola people special fishing rights. According to information, fishing was also tied to farm shares at that time, and at that time, the shareholders of Kukkola fishing were also organized.
Fishing in Kukkola has been a common catch for hundreds of years. Farms formed a common fishing community in the 1600s at the latest, when fishing tied to farms had to be organised and fishing had to be carried out in harmony. Hunting and the distribution of catches were regulated by the village’s internal rules.
Fishing today – Organised by the community
Today, the Fishing Association is responsible for organising dipnet fishing in the area. The shareholders take care of the renovation of fishing spots, as well as the annual construction and dismantling of the piers. In addition, it determines the fishing times in accordance with the Transboundary River Agreement. The shareholders elect a rapids host from among themselves, who is responsible for matters related to fishing, coordinates the construction and dismantling of the piers, and chairs the meetings of the shareholders’ association.
History of the area
The Kukkolankoski fish field is a site of nationally significant cultural environments. The Kukkolankoski area has undergone significant changes in the economic structure and environment from the 1950s to the present day. The urbanisation after the Second World War and the acceleration of migration from the countryside were also visible in Kukkolankoski. The region’s traditional livelihoods – farming, animal husbandry and fishing – began to decline after the 1950s, and today these livelihoods have almost disappeared in the area.
Fishing in the area is mainly practiced for leisure purposes, and traditional fishing is still alive in the rapids’ fishing field. In Kukkolankoski, traditional fishing – i.e. fishing for whitefish and salmon – is no longer an actual livelihood. However, fishing can be considered an indirect livelihood through tourism, as it is one of the main attraction factors in the region.
Whitefish distribution tradition
The whitefish distribution tradition has survived as part of the dipnet fishing culture in Kukkola, Finland. In most other villages, the way of sharing the catch has already faded or ended. Older whitefish distributors usually explain the principles of distribution and teach what to do in the distribution. Three different methods of drawing lots are used in the distribution procedure. In the distribution, the piles of fish are drawn among the shareholders in order to achieve as equal a distribution as possible according to the shares. Other ways of drawing are the “Whose pile is this?” and “Head or tail” methods.
Visit Finnish Kukkolankoski
