Finland has over 180 thousand lakes and a thriving winter fishery for vendace, a small freshwater salmonid known in the U.S. as cisco.
When the lakes freeze, fishermen catch vendace by seining under the ice, and it’s cold work. “Most of them use our Jokasafe gloves,” says Ville Sulkakoski, managing director of the family-owned Jokasafe Oy. “They use the smooth version of mittens so that they don’t get caught in the net. We also make a version with a granulated surface for gripping fish.”
The Finnish company has made several journeys to the Pacific Marine Expo to share Jokasafe gloves and mittens with North American fishermen. “We would really like to get into that market,” says Sulkakoski, whose grandfather and great-uncle started the business in 1960. “Our gloves are made of PVC with a cotton lining. Some have a crenelation applied. It is poured on, and then the gloves are baked at around 230 degrees centigrade (446 F).”
According to Sulkakoski, Jokasafe gloves can be used in -50-degree weather without cracking, and they last. “We had a guy come in wanting new gloves, and he showed us his old pair. My uncle estimated they were from the 80s.” Videos of the ice fishermen show some using black gloves and others using orange. “We haven’t made those orange ones in five years,” says Sulkakoski.
To address the microplastics problem in the world’s lakes and oceans, Jokasafe now uses a material called Biovyn in its products. “It is fully made out of compressed pine oil from waste wood,” says Sulkakoski. “It reduces the carbon footprint by 72 to 94 percent compared to regular fossil fuel-based raw materials. And it has the same features as conventional vinyl products, so they are still very durable and offer excellent protection against extreme weather conditions.”
While Sulakoski has brought the Jokasafe products to the Pacific Marine Expo on multiple occasions, the company has yet to find any traction in the U.S. and Canadian markets. “We’ve talked to a couple of distributors and given gloves to fishermen to try,” says Sulkakoski. “We’re still waiting for some feedback. One person was looking at them for processing and afraid the granulation would come off and get into the fish, but that’s impossible. It doesn’t happen.”
Looking to supply the coldest weather fisheries, Sulkakoski notes that the gloves can also be used with teddy liners for both the gloves and mittens. He also points out that the Jokasafe Oy products are made at the company’s factory in Finland. “I think we’re the only ones left in the EU,” he says. “All the other manufacturing has moved to Asia.”
