North coastal based projects secure €697,074 investment under Fisheries Local Area Action Group (FLAG) Strategy

Donegal based Malin Head Fishermen’s Co-op one of 47 FLAG North projects in 2018

Bord Iascaigh Mhara today announced details of over €697,074 investment for 47 coastal based projects in the FLAG North region of Ireland under the Fisheries Local Area Action Group (FLAG) Strategy.

Jim O’Toole, CEO of BIM said that the FLAG Programme would continue “to promote sustainable growth in the local economies of Irish coastal towns and villages and provide a significant boost to these important communities.” He added that, “by 2020, the FLAG Programme will have invested up to €12 million in Ireland’s coastal communities, providing jobs, and exciting opportunities to men and women who live along Ireland’s coastline.”

More than 400 applications have been made to the FLAG programme this year. All applications were reviewed by individual FLAG Boards in each of the seven FLAG regions throughout Ireland. Projects must be able to demonstrate a clear link to coastal community rejuvenation, enterprise, innovation, job creation and skills enhancement across the fishing, aquaculture and maritime industries.

Malin Head Fishermen’s Co-op is one of 47 FLAG North based coastal projects that successfully applied for FLAG funding this year, and features in a new BIM video campaign to raise awareness of FLAG.

FLAG funding has allowed Malin Head co-op, which was founded in 1991, to invest in holding tanks for lobster and crab for their fishermen.  The co-op has also embraced  BIM’s lobster v-notching scheme, an initiative that encourages fishermen to v- notch female lobsters allowing for easier identification and subsequent return to sea to breed. 31,000 lobsters  were v notched in 2017, 3,500 of which were done by Malin Head co-op.

The FLAG programme is co funded by the Irish Government and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). BIM, Ireland’s Seafood Development Agency, administers the programme which will deliver a total of €12 million in funding to Ireland’s coastal communities over the 2014-2020 period.

Applications for 2019 FLAG is now open. Details on the FLAG programme and on how to apply can be found at www.bim.ie/schemes/

The video of Malin Head Fishermen’s Co-Op can be watched by logging on to  – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo4ibAVNXKI

Eddie Kelly, Malin Head Co-op, one of 47 FLAG North based coastal projects that applied for funding in 2018 and features in a new BIM video campaign to raise awareness of FLAG.