Iidesjärvi to see large-scale spring fish harvest

Iidesjärvi is starting spring health management fishing using fyke nets, aiming to remove large quantities of shoal fish from the lake during the coming spring, Tamperelainen writes. The goal is to reduce internal nutrient loading and cloudiness while also improving conditions for breeding waterfowl.

According to Tamperelainen, the nets will be set after the ice leaves in early April, with fishing spots agreed in advance to minimise disturbance to birds’ nesting. Nets will be hauled several times per week, and the catch will be used for practical purposes, while all larger predatory fish will be released. The newspaper says previous rounds of management fishing since 2020 have produced substantial hauls, with spring fyke-net catches ranging from 3,150 to 8,430 kilograms, and that by 2025 the total management catch is close to 37.6 tonnes.

Tamperelainen reports that bird surveys indicate a clear improvement after the start of the programme, with the number of breeding waterfowl pairs in 2025 higher than in any year in the lake’s monitoring history. In particular, the numbers of great crested grebe, common coot and common goldeneye appear to have increased, and more gadfly-like pairs of wigeon were also observed. The article adds that long-term improvements in water nutrient levels have been seen, but plankton communities, aquatic vegetation, fish stocks and water quality still reflect a nutrient-rich lake. Funding will mainly come from the city’s own resources, with an application for environmental administration support still awaiting a decision, and Iidesjärvi is proposed as a protected area in Tampere’s nature conservation programme for 2026–2040.