North East coastal based projects secure €651,734 investment under Fisheries Local Area Action Group (FLAG) Strategy

Skerries based Egan’s Ocean Fresh one of 22 North East FLAG projects in 2018

July 20^th, 2018

Bord Iascaigh Mhara today announced details of a €651,734 investment for 22 coastal based projects in the North East 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.

Egan’s Ocean Fresh, based in Skerries, North Co. Dublin, is one of 22 North East based coastal projects that applied for FLAG funding this year.  The fishmonger’s and seafood processing business was established almost 100 years ago in 1922 and features in a new BIM video campaign to raise awareness of FLAG.

Tony Gunnery, owner and manager of Egan’s Ocean Fresh, supplies locally sourced fresh, frozen and value-added white fish to supermarkets, restaurants and farmer’s markets throughout Leinster. Tony applied for FLAG funding to expand his business and to increase Egan’s production capacity to meet an increasing demand for its products. The funding has helped his business to develop a processing facility and factory retail outlet where he works with Simon Gell of Simon’s Fish Products to supply fish cakes, pies and other value added seafood products throughout Leinster.

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 are now open. Details of the FLAG programme and on how to apply can be found at www.bim.ie/schemes/

The video of Egan’s Ocean Fresh that forms part of the FLAG campaign can be watched here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDoce_YUjDo

Tony Gunnery, Egan’s Fresh Fish, one of 22 FLAG North East based coastal projects that applied for funding in 2018 and features in a new BIM video campaign to raise awarenss of FLAG.