Our story

Rowing for Baltic Herring event was first organized in 2013, in the opening Sunday of the Baltic Herring Market in Helsinki.  The yearly autum regatta in the capitol city of Finland is a charity event. In the first years there were roughly ten fleets participating, now more than twenty with over 300 participants! 

Raising funds for the Baltic Sea

The event brings together people and organizations supporting the Baltic Sea ecosystem. Over the years more than 100 000 euros has been collected for the protection of the fragile marine ecosystem of the Baltic Sea.

The raised funds have been directed to different projects:

  • The Baltic Herring Rowing 2025 campaign raised 6,500 euros for WWF Finland's oil spill response work. The environmental event brought together more than 300 rowers and hikers to exercise for the Baltic Sea on the opening day of the Helsinki Baltic Herring Market. The donation amount was collected from the participation fees of 12 church boat rowers and about 50 hikers, as well as the support of donors and partners. The patron of the event was Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Sari Multala, who opened the day and emphasised the shared responsibility for the protection of the Baltic Sea in her speech.

  • The 2024 Rotarian Baltic Herring Rowing event was attended by about 300 participants from Finland, Sweden and Germany. Ocean rower Jari Saario also took part in the rowing as its patron. The event managed to raise 8500 euros for the benefit of the Baltic Sea! The proceeds were handed over to the Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG).

  • In 2023, the proceeds of the event were donated to the Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG) for the protection of underwater marine nature. The theme of the event was stopping the loss of underwater nature.

  • In 2022 the event raised 6 000 euros that was donated to the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke) to be used for diving equipment at the researh vessel M/S Aranda. 

  • In 2020 an 2021 the events had to be cancelled due to the Covid outbrake. In stead many of the clubs arranged local "Baltic Herring walks" and raised funds for a scolarship. The scolarship was received by Tuuli Honkakorpi for her masters thesis in the Department of Geosciences and Geography in University of Helsinki. The thesis treated the interaction of surface and ground waters.

  • In 2013 through 2019 the funds were raised for the water protection association of the river Vantaa and Helsinki region. The funding has been used in continuous measurents of the water quality with automated sensors and improvements on the preservation of the river and its ecosystem. 

The logo of the event

is designed by Esa Ojala, one of the most renowned Finnish graphic designers. The emblem combines the traditional church boat and the Baltic Herring. The eye is in fact the cox and the curved pairs of oars/rowers form the structure of the fish. The letters represent oars. 

First steps into working life - Job'd young people help rowers

For several years, Herring Rowing has supported the employment of young people by offering jobs to Job'd young people and by enabling important first steps into working life in cooperation with the City of Helsinki's youth services.

The young people work to help with the start of rowing in Töölönlahti or Kaisaniemenlahti, handing out life jackets, getting into boats and pushing boats into the water, as well as at the finish line at the Market Square, assisting in getting out of the boat and collecting life jackets.

The experiences have been very positive on both sides: helping hands have come in handy and there are plenty of enthusiastic young people interested in work.

Job'd is an operating model in which young people gain work experience at the beginning of their careers in tasks that help others at the same time. The young people get paid for the work, but in addition to their own pocket money, the work experience gained at the event is also significant. The experience and certificate gained from even a short job, as well as the working life skills learned, help e.g. In this way, this helps young people move forward in life and contributes to preventing the social exclusion of young people.