The birth of commercial fi shing. Social transition and fisher’s identity in the Northern Satakunta coast

The basic identity structures of Finnish commercial fishers originate in an era when the position and appreciation of commercial fi shing was at its strongest. Although in time the fishers’ identity has been shaped and differentiated, their decision-making still reflects the bloom of commercial fishing. Based on publications and archive documents, this report studies the birth of commercial fishing in the Northern Satakunta region.

Driftnet fishing for Baltic herring, adopted in the study area in the 19th century, provided fishing opportunities especially for people who did not own a farm. Fishing was typically started by cottagers who had settled in the area in connection with the arrival of the lumber industry. The heyday of commercial fishing was at the end of the 1910s, when the general shortage of food supplies, due to the World War, substantially increased the demand of Baltic herring. The fishing profession was often adopted by the working population. A good supply of Baltic herring contributed to the construction of the fish salting industry along the coast of the Northern Satakunta region, which was also the main area for manufacturing fish tubs. The livelihood of fishers and the valuation of the profession were improved by the shortage of food supplies. Similarly, organisation activities were diversified, coastal fishing was mechanised, and tenement farms began to gain autonomy.

In the whirlwind of these changes, fishers in the Northern Satakunta region started to maintain a strong worker identity. This was exceptional in comparison with other coastal regions, where fishing was typically connected to a peasant life mode. Dwelling in their small leased lots, the fishers in the Northern Satakunta region typically aimed at sufficient incomes for making a living for their families and did not want to be distinguished from their population group amidst of political turmoil.