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Scottish fisheries to benefit from £6.5m of funding
12/10/2005
One hundred new jobs are expected to be created as a result of £6.5 million of funding to improve and modernise Scotland's fisheries and aquaculture sectors.
Sixty seven Scottish businesses will benefit from grant awards under the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG) programme. The money will be partly used to modernise fishing vessels and improve port facilities.
Fisheries Minister Ross Finnie announced the awards earlier today ahead of the first meeting of the Sea Fisheries Advisory Group, part of the Executive's Sustainable Framework for Sea Fisheries. He said:
"This is a further substantial commitment to the future of Scotland's fisheries and aquaculture industries on top of 30 million pounds invested over the last five years.
"The scheme in the Highlands and Islands has been regularly oversubscribed with high quality bids and for that reason I have topped up the available EU FIFG aid with Executive funds to benefit a larger number of projects across Scotland.
"I am particularly delighted to announce support of improvements to facilities at Mallaig and Carradale harbours and the further expansion of cod farming facilities on Shetland.
"I am committed to a profitable and sustainable fisheries sector and see grant support as contributing to achieving this objective.
"The Sea Fisheries Advisory group can also help us to realise this goal by overseeing the successful implementation of the Sustainable Framework for Scottish Sea Fisheries.
"I am delighted to bring together industry leaders, scientists, environmental and retail representatives for the first time this evening to address the challenges the industry is facing."
This is the ninth round of FIFG awards which were introduced in 2000 and will run until the end of 2006.
Over the period of the FIFG programme, 55 million pounds has been made available to Scotland (17 million pounds for the Highlands and Islands area and 38 million pounds for the rest of Scotland).
In addition to the FIFG awards totalling 4.21 million pounds, there will be a Member State back-up contribution. The Executive has committed 2.29 million for the projects to be supported by this round of awards.
The closing date for the next round of applications will be set by the management groups at their meetings in November 2005. It is anticipated this will be 31 March 2006.
A full list of successful projects is available on: www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Fisheries/grants-subsidies/fifgawards/fifgawardsoct05
The members of the Sea Fisheries Advisory Group are:
- Alex West, Scottish Fishermen's Federation
- Bertie Armstrong, Scottish Fishermen's Federation and co-chair of the Scottish Inshore Fisheries Advisory Group
- James Anderson, Scottish Fishermen's Federation
- Roddy McColl, Fishermen's Association Ltd
- Iain MacSween, Scottish Fishermen's Organisation and Chairman of Seafood Scotland
- Linda Cross, Scottish Seafood Processors Federation
- Norrie McLean, Scottish Food and Drink Federation
- Iain Wood, J. W. Holdings
- Andrew Mallison, Marks and Spencer
- Lloyd Austin, Head of Policy Operations, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
- Dr Richard Dixon, Director, WWF Scotland
- John Rutherford, Chief Executive, Seafish
- Duncan McInnes, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (Board)
- Jennifer F Craw, Chief Executive, Scottish Enterprise Grampian
- Jim Knowles, Aberdeenshire Council
- Mike Kaiser, University of Wales, Bangor
- Robin Cook, Fisheries Research Service
- Paul DuVivier, Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency