Grants worth £3 million to modernise and enhance the competitiveness of England''s fishing industry have been awarded following an assessment panel.
The grants will attract a further £5 million from other sources.
A total of 39 projects ranging from small-scale vessel modernisations to major port improvements were agreed under the FIFG scheme run by the Marine and Fisheries Agency (MFA).
Successful applications include:
Fishermap - £100,000 over the next 2 years. Fishermap is a large-scale pilot project across Devon, Dorset and Somerset to map the activities and knowledge of fishermen. It is part of Finding Sanctuary a project that will plan and identify a network of Marine Protected Areas around the coasts and seas of South West England. The mapping technique has been tried in the Greater Thames Estuary and formalises and communicates the knowledge fishermen have of the fisheries ecosystem.
Dorset Handline Fishermen's Association - £25,000 to improve the quality of the catch through better handling of fish and improved temperature control.
Bolton Abbey Trout Hatchery - £7,000 to drill a bore hole to supply a hatchery with a biosecure source of water.
Shoreham Harbour - £29,000 to install pontoons to give vessels secure berthing with electricity and freshwater supplies.
North Eastern Sea Fisheries Committee - £30,000 for the first phase of a lobster stock monitoring project with the overall goal of ensuring the sustainability of commercial shellfish species and achieve MSC accreditation on lobster within the district.
MFA Chief Executive, Nigel Gooding said, "This round of awards of public money will make a real difference to the industry in terms of sustainability and competitiveness. It represents a confidence and willingness to invest in the industry. There is a bright future for those who are willing to work at introducing innovative, market- orientated approaches to their businesses wherever they are in the fish food chain."
Defra anticipates that there will be sufficient funding to hold a further panel in the autumn for small scale short term projects including a limited range of safety equipment that can complete and claim by June 2008. Applications must be submitted by Friday 7 September after which the FIFG scheme is closed; successful applicants will be notified in October.
Public consultation on the successor scheme, the European Fisheries Fund, is expected in the summer and will start in 2008.
