A new pot of funding aimed at supporting fishing industries and communities is now open to applications, through Orkney Islands Council.

Fisheries and aquaculture business and organisations, as well as fisheries based communities, are invited to apply to the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) for support for projects which strengthen the vitality and sustainability of the fisheries sector and communities.

Orkney has been allocated £482,000 by the EMFF and Scottish Government. Applications will be assessed by a local ‘Fisheries Local Action Group’ (FLAG) which has now been set up and is open to applications.

The FLAG priorities for funding are:

• The diversification and sustainable management of the local fisheries sector.
• Developing new market opportunities and ‘added value’ for fish products.
• Initiatives for diversification in fisheries-based communities.

The level of funding available is dependent on the outcomes and benefits delivered by individual projects.

There is a two-stage application process - projects successful at an initial ‘Expression of Interest’ stage will be invited to complete a full application, the first deadline for which is September 7. Subsequent deadlines will be published on the Orkney Fisheries Local Action Group website here.

Orkney FLAG Chair, Francesca Couperwhite, said: “This is a significant amount of money being made available to Orkney which provides a great opportunity for our Fisheries sector. Any project receiving funding must be completed by the end of March 2018 so we’d therefore encourage anyone with a project idea to discuss it with the team as soon as possible.”

To discuss a project idea contact the LEADER team at Orkney Islands Council on 01856 873535 ext 2811 or email Amy Esslemont , Orkney Islands Council's LEADER Development Officer.