RFVOF was formed in 1998.

After many and long discussions between the municipalities in the area, Falun, Hedemora and Säter, a fishing rights ownership investigation was launched in the mid-1990s. The National Land Survey found just over 700 fishing rights owners within the intended area.

It was natural for the County Administrative Board to ask the Ryggens Fiskevårdsförening, which had been active for many years, to participate in planning and investigation work. The working name during the investigation also became RFVOF.

Why was the area formed?

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency had a mission from the government to work to ensure that all waters where fishing can be practiced are accessible to the public. The mission included dividing the country into smaller units – Fishing Areas – through the County Administrative Boards, where the fishing rights owners, through area boards, can freely decide how fishing should be conducted.

The statutes for the area associations are based on some of the paragraphs formulated by the County Administrative Board. These paragraphs are generally valid for the entire country. In addition, the associations are given a great deal of freedom to decide on other statutes themselves. There is a requirement that the area association shall provide and sell fishing licenses to fishing right holders, local residents and the general public. Within the association there must be people who can supervise that the association's decisions on fishing operations are complied with.

The income from the sale of fishing licenses goes entirely back into improvements for fishing operations.