The Oulu River was rich in salmon until the beginning of the 1940s, prior to its harnessing for water power production, which stopped the salmon from migrating in the river. After the completion of the Merikoski fishway in 2003, migrating fi sh have again had access to parts of the river, and the idea of bringing them back to the upper part of the Oulu River has emerged. The conditions for salmon migration and spawning in this river formerly rich in salmon were the target of this project. In addition to the Oulu River, the scope of the project also included the River Lososinka, which flows through the town of Petrozavodsk and where salmon migration upstream has also been prevented for 300 years. Salmon spawning has only been possible within a stretch of a few hundred meters in the river delta. The power plants are no longer operational, but there are three dams left in the river. The upper part of the river is in a natural state and quite suitable for salmon spawning. The River Lososinka could potentially be a highly yielding river for salmon, if the necessary fish ways could be built. The main purpose of the project was to determine the conditions for bringing back fish of value in constructed water systems as well as find technical solutions to remove the obstacles to migration. The purpose was also to develop a cooperation network of specialists, research facilities and authorities for future projects. Achievements: Extensive research and reports were made in the project regarding bringing back fi sh of value to the Oulu and Lososinka Rivers. Based on the results, there are sufficient grounds for building fish ways in the Oulu River: the planners decided to recommend primarily natural bypasses which can also be used as spawning and fish fry production areas, which are lacking in the Oulu River. Both the enabling of natural breeding and the wishes of the local residents (requirements of fishing) must be taken into consideration. These targets can be combined, and natural breeding will encourage fishing in the river area, even though it will not change the need to plant new fish. There are also good biological grounds for reviving the salmon in the River Lososinka, and based on the report, no legal hindrances exist either. The city is interested in solutions that increase the recreational and landscape value of the area. Out of the three remaining dams, it is no longer necessary to preserve the middle and the uppermost ones, the lower dam is still important in maintaining the water level of the backwater and swimming area in the river. However, it would be possible to enable salmon migration past the lower dam and, at the same time, pay attention to its scenic impression. Removing the two remaining dams would eradicate or reduce the two uppermost backwater ponds, which could be seen as detrimental to the scenery. On the other hand, the dam structures themselves impair the landscape, and reconstructing the original river landscape and bringing back the fi sh breeding area would be seen as positive steps. It is also possible to retain the water levels, but that would require substantial alteration works to the dams. Further information on the subject is available in the project report (SY 5/2008). A further project for the Oulu River, financed by the European Regional Development Fund, is planned.