Fishing communities are an important part of the Scottish coastline.
To help them prosper, Axis 4 of the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) was launched in Scotland in January 2012 to provide up to £7.6 million to local Scottish fishing communities affected by a decline in fishing activities located across 13 local authorities.
£4.2 million of funding (based on Euro exchange rates in January 2012) has been accessed by the Scottish Government under Axis 4 of the EFF. To access the funds, local authorities (or other public bodies) are required to provide additional funding (on a 25/75 basis for Highlands and Islands and a 50/50 basis for rest of Scotland). If the full £4.2 million available is allocated, this will bring the total to £7.57 million. The EFF funding is divided into two main allocations - £1.3m for councils in Highlands & Islands (Shetland, Orkney, Highland, Western Isles and Argyll & Bute) and £2.9m for the rest of Scotland (Aberdeenshire, Angus, Fife, Scottish Borders, South Ayrshire, East Lothian, Dumfries & Galloway, and Moray).
Eligible councils were invited to create Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs) to consider applications and decide how the funding will be allocated locally. In total there will be 12 FLAGs: Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dumfries & Galloway, East Lothian, Fife, Highland, Moray, Orkney, Shetland, Scottish Borders, Western Isles, as well as one joint FLAG for Argyll & Bute and South Ayrshire. By allocating funding at a local level, communities can be empowered to only back projects that improve quality of life and deliver genuine benefits for the local community.
FLAGs will be encouraged to share ideas and experiences and engage in co-operative projects that contribute to sustainable development. To support this ten per cent of the funding will be managed centrally as a co-operation budget. This comprises of £438,500 from the EFF, which including ten per cent of the council contributions increases to £757,000.
A diverse range of projects are be eligible to apply, including projects to provide skills training for local people, enhancing environmental protection, community renewable energy projects and improvements to tourism services to attract more visitors.
Each FLAG has developed a Local Fisheries Development Strategy (LFDS) to set out priorities for their area. Councils will invite local groups to apply for funding in due course and projects will need to contribute towards the LFDS as well as meet the eligibility criteria for Axis 4.
Beneficiaries will include micro, small, medium sized enterprises; third sector organisations and public sector organisations.