The Finnish word “pyytää” means asking or making a request. The same word also means hunting and fishing. When Finns go fishing they ”ask” for fish, not take or catch it. Pyynti is the act of fishing or hunting. It is probably millennia old word. In the Sámi language, which is related to Finnish they use a similar word.
Bothnian Bay is the northernmost part of the Baltic Sea. It is covered by ice up to 6 months every winter. In the Bothnian Bay, fishermen are called ”asker”, “pyytäjä” and many words related to traps and nets are the same origin.
It is said that if the land does not give, the sea will. Even today the sea would give, but it is difficult to make a living by fishing. Although knowledge and technology have made it easier to catch fish there is never any certainty about it. Abroad farmed cheap fish has replaced local wild fish. The number of fishermen in the area has collapsed. The culture is fading.
Most of these men come from family lines of fishermen. Even if their ancestors were fishermen, the young generation feels the pull of the urban. They rarely continue in their father's footsteps. The changing environment and hard work makes their livelihood challenging, but freedom and passion is the fuel for the few who continue as long as they can stand on their own two feet.
