Early and Medieval Fishing The period defined by the title falls within the reign of the Catholic Church, from the early first millennium to the 16th century, coinciding with the beginning of the printing press. This era shares a common characteristic with ancient times: the classification of existing fishing texts into knowledge or stories is challenging or unnecessary. Therefore, the presented material is gathered under the same title. Due to the various storage locations of the material and the focus of literary research, discoveries are limited, corresponding to the obscurity of the era. For a layperson (like this author),
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Finnish Fish Literature In Finland, the roots of fish literature reach back to the 18th century, when the first fish-related dissertations were published in Latin. The Royal Academy of Turku played a significant role as a publisher of these writings. It wasn’t until a hundred years later that fish-related topics were written about in the Finnish language, inspired by the first fishery official. Later on, there were writings that portrayed fishing not just as a means of sustenance but also as a pastime. In the 18th century, Finnish contributions to fish literature were primarily dissertations, and the first ones were
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Fish Science at the Royal Academy of Turku The first doctoral dissertations in the field of fisheries in Finland were carried out at the Royal Academy of Turku. Even there, fisheries were not very popular, and only ten writings or dissertations on fish were produced. The first of these, “De regia piscatura comoensi,” was published in 1751 when F.R. Brander defended it under the supervision of Professor C.F. Mennander on the subject of the royal fishery of Kokemäki. In the same year, another dissertation related to fish was published, although it was more religious than biological. Nic. Malm defended
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The Fish Tales of Kalevala Salmon has had many different names. This reflects its significance. Salmon has been highly esteemed both on the dinner table and as a commodity for trade. Furthermore, it is associated with the rapids and the power of the rapids. Lemminkäinen is the epitome of a salmon singer, who competes with the master of Pohjola by singing pools onto the floors. Väinämöinen and other salmon singers seek help from Melattaro, Sinervo, the Rapids Girl, and the Frothy Ones in navigating the rapids. The rapids boat is steered with a paddle, but ‘mela’ also means the tail
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The History of Fish Farming in Finland The first steps in fish farming in Finland date back to the late 19th century. This period also saw the publication of the first fish farming guides. The credit for their publication goes to Finland’s first fisheries inspector, Henrik Holmberg. He was appointed to his position in 1860, but as early as 1858, “Practical Instructions for Raising Salmon-like Fish” were published, and in the same year, “How to Get Fish to Thrive in Rivers and Lakes in Finland.” These guides addressed fish farming, which was gaining a strong foothold as a means of
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Peter Artedi, the Father of Ichthyology Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus modestly stated, ‘God created the animals and plants, but I organized them.’ Well, he did indeed develop a scientific system for them, and all credit goes to him for that. However, in the realm of ichthyology and the first classification of fish, the credit goes to the Swedish natural scientist Peter Artedi (Petrus Arctaedius). He was born on February 22, 1705, in the village of Anundsjön in the province of Ångermanland. Artedi initially studied theology at Uppsala University but shifted his focus to medicine and natural history, particularly fish.
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In the Spirit of Juhani Aho: Changes in Rapids and Waters National author Juhani Aho (1861–1921) was a passionate fly fisherman, a promoter of fisheries, and an advocate for the fish stocks in our rapids. His published fishing-related literature dates from 1913 to 1922. His dearest fishing spot was Huopanankoski, and Huopanankoski is known as Juhani Aho’s rapids. On the other hand, the rapids symbolize the entire transformation of Finnish river waters: here, the eras of utilizing hydropower, log driving, various construction activities, and eventually fisheries restoration have all been visible. Because Aho’s later work, his influence, changes in
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The Fate of a Book Collection? An eternal question is what happens to collections when the collector passes away. Especially, large book collections can be challenging to pass on to the next generation if there is no inherent interest in book collecting. Due to their space-consuming nature, there is often no possibility to place them in the homes of future generations. Consequently, collections often need to be sold to various places, even though the collection as a whole is always more valuable than individual books. Often, the cultural value of a collection is significantly greater than its monetary value. The
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Teno River in 19th Century English Fishing Literature The Teno River and its salmon have attracted travelers in the 19th century, even though the journey with the transportation available at the time was challenging. The first fishing tourists arrived at the Teno River through Norway and wrote about their adventures in the far north in their own country’s newspapers, including “The Field” and “The Fishing Gazette.” The first serious mention of the Teno River in a book dates back to 1848. Fishing tackle merchant J. Jones wrote the book “The Jones’s Guide to Norway” as a guide for those fishermen
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Kustaa Vilkuna: Salmon. The History of Salmon Fishing in the Kemijoki River and its Surrounding Areas Kustaa Vilkuna was born on October 26, 1902, in Nivala. Vilkuna graduated from the University of Helsinki in 1927 with Finnish language as his major. He earned his doctorate in folklore in 1936. Vilkuna was a prolific writer and a true polymath in the field of folklore. He also had a keen interest in fishing and the related folk traditions. Vilkuna’s magnum opus, “Salmon: The History of Salmon Fishing in the Kemijoki River and its Surrounding Areas,” was published in 1974. Vilkuna first became
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