The Hiitolanjoki River finally flows freely

It has been a long process, says Hanna Ollikainen, CEO of the South Karelia Recreation Foundation.

"More than two decades of work have now been completed."

The Hiitolanjoki river flows from Finland to Russia and flows into lake Ladoga. The 53-kilometre-long river is the main upstream river for salmon in lake Ladoga and is home to Finland's last original and fully wild lake salmon population.

"All three power dams on the Finnish side have now been dismantled and the rapids restored. Kangaskoski, Lahnasenkoski and Ritakoski are flowing freely," says Ollikainen.

The restoration of the rapids has required a long period of background work. According to Ollikainen, it has also been important that the project has received sufficient funding.

"Fortunately, we have had a strong back-up team involved in the project. The municipality, the province and the Ely Centre have brought their expertise to the project."

The biggest beneficiary of the restoration of the rapids is the extremely endangered lake Ladoga salmon. The removal of the barriers will allow the salmon to reach the Finnish side, increasing the species' reproduction potential. The restoration of the rapids will also benefit trout.

The Hiitolanjoki River is the most important salmon breeding river in the whole of the Ladoga region.

"Many of the other tributaries in lake Ladoga have upstream barriers and problems with water quality," says Ollikainen.

According to Ollikainen, the cessation of energy production from power plants has been invaluable for nature. The river's ecosystems are recovering, and at the same time the area's hiking facilities have been developed in the diverse riverside natural environment.

Local residents have been enthusiastic about the project.

"This is reflected in the fact that all the permits have been passed without a single complaint," says Ollikainen enthusiastically.

The power plant buildings are protected by the National Board of Antiquities and will be restored in the future. The buildings are a valuable cultural environment that they want to preserve, for example by leaving as much of the dam structure visible as possible.

"The buildings are to be used for tourism and there are plans for a museum at the Kangaskoski power plant," says Ollikainen.

Day permits are already being sold for Kangaskoski and Ritakoski outside the salmon fishing ban. However, salmon and trout must be released and only non-forced hooks should be used," Ollikainen reminds.

"You have to be happy that everything has gone well and the end result is fantastic. The work for the endangered salmon has definitely been worth all the effort."

The article has been published in Metsä Group Viesti magazine 1/2024