Business groups join with fisheries action group to promote sector

Business stakeholders in the south-west region have joined a new Fisheries Local Action Group (or FLAG), a Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM)-led initiative to promote the industry’s interests in the region.

Participants including Cork County Council, Fáilte Ireland and a host of others set up this FLAG group following BIM’s launch of the Axis 4: Sustainable Development of Fishery Dependent Areas Programme in June 2012, a new initiative to empower and support Irish coastal communities.

Co-ordinated by Vera O’Donovan and Huan Tan, BIM regional FLAG co-ordinators for the South West area, the group comprises of representatives from the fisheries, aquaculture, seafood production, environment, community, and tourism sectors. It will be charged with developing a local integrated development strategy for their area over the coming months.

The South West FLAG co-ordinators see the fisheries “as a critical piece of infrastructure to capture additional opportunities for coastal regions and a stepping stone towards developing the capacity to take advantage of funds which may present themselves in the future”.

The aim of the Axis 4 programme, funded by the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) and administered by BIM, is to empower fishing and aquaculture-reliant communities to use the valuable resources they have at their disposal to develop and implement a strategy to increase revenue and employment opportunities for their respective areas.

Each FLAG is responsible for delivering a strategy for their area on a devolved basis. The groups will formulate a local development strategy that identifies suitable projects that require financial or expert assistance. A consultation process will be initiated during early June.

Once the local integrated development strategy is finalised, there will be a call for projects from individuals and local communities. To qualify for funding, projects must satisfy specific criteria. For example, projects must be based in coastal areas (with the exception of areas of populations in excess of 15,000) and not more than 10km from the sea.

Meanwhile, 11 West Cork skippers became the latest recipients of BIM grant-aid after they successfully secured vessel funding from BIM’s Fleet Modernisation Scheme.

The West Cork vessels to receive funding were Roise Catriona, Ocean Pioneer, Sea Rose, Ronan Ross, Kayleigh, Sarah David, Cisemair, Brian Eoin, Phoenix, Kay BB, Ownie Padraig and Anders Nees.

Damian Turner of the Roise Catriona received grant-aid to assist with the ongoing implementation of his onboard seafood environmental, quality and handling systems.

Mr Turner said: “As a skipper, I am very pleased to receive this funding from BIM. Grant-aid is always put to good use but it is particularly beneficial during this time of recession. The grant-aid from BIM gives a welcome boost to local employment here in West Cork where jobs are badly needed.”

BIM local area officer, Huan Tan, said: “The Fleet Modernisation Scheme is just one of the many ways BIM and Cork’s coastal community can come together to actively protect and support sustainable local employment... The valuable contribution skippers make to the economy is very significant and BIM is happy to assist them as they continue to operate as a vital part of the local coastal community.”