Snowchange Cooperative

Snowchange is a non-profit cooperative that fishes in North Karelia, restores peatlands and waters across Finland, and supports Indigenous and local communities around the world.
Find out more about us here .
Explore our Rewilding Program here.

Snowchange fishery

Our primary fishing season is the winter. We practice traditional winter seining on Lake Puruvesi. It is a unique fishing method that takes place on ice. The first records of seine fishing at Lake Puruvesi date back to the 14th century. It is a small-scale fishery that keeps the lake and its fish stocks healthy and carries rich cultural heritage. The primary catch is vendace (Coregonus albula), a small freshwater whitefish, that belongs to the Salmondiae family.

Lake Puruvesi is known for its clear waters of excellent quality. The conditions of the lake make its vendace special. The vendace of Puruvesi is known for being particularly high in vitamin D and having soft bones (you can eat the fish with its bones!)

Because of its uniqueness, regarding fish quality and the traditional harvesting tied to Lake Puruvesi, the vendace of Puruvesi received a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) from the European Commission in 2013.

Learn more about the winter seining of Puruvesi by watching our documentary or by reading more here.

In the summer, we take our small boat out to Lake Onkamo where we catch bream, ide, pike, pike perch, and perch by fyke nets and standing nets.

We process our catch in our artisanal production space in Tohmajärvi. We sell our fish fresh, frozen, tinned as well as dried. You can find our products at our HQ in Tohmajärvi, through the REKO direct sales channels (Joensuu, Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Hyvinkää, Kerava, Tuusula, Järvenpää) and through Uudenmaan ruoka. We also ship our fish tins across the EU. Order yours by sending us an email on contact@snowchange.org.

Our fishers

Karoliina Lehtimäki

Karoliina is the captain of our fishing crew. In the winter she leads the winter seining on Lake Puruvesi, and outside of the winter the fyke net fishery in Lake Onkamo. She is also responsible for reparing the fishing gear. She also plays a crucial role in fish processing and the development of our fish products.

Tero Mustonen

Tero is a professional fisherman, researcher and head of Snowchange. He has participated in professional fishery since his childhood, and practiced winter seining on Lake Puruvesi since 2005. As a scholar, he served as a lead author of the 6th Assessment Report of the IPCC. He also leads the Landscape Restoration program of Snowchange.

Henri Leskinen

Henri is a fisherman, mechanic and restoration professional. In the winter he is part of the winter seining crew, and outside of the winter he restores peatlands, rivers and lakes. He is also responsible for the repair of our machinery.

Joni Kareinen

Joni is a crafsman specialized in traditional Karelian building techniques. He builds and renovates log houses, and is responsible for renovation work in our HQ. In the winter Joni joins our winter seining crew as a fisherman. He is also responsible for the canning of our fish and has played a big role in developing the recipes of our canned products.