£3m boost for England's fishing industry

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. For details of the successful applications see the table below. They 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.

Other grants include: 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."

We anticipate 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.

ENDS

          Final amounts in the South West subject to confirmation FISHING VESSEL MODERNISATION Company          Location       Project          FIFG (£)  MFA (£) C B Jeffrey      Durham         Improvements to  2,985     4,975                                 Fish Quality Jubilee Fishing  Grimsby        Improvements to  2,817     4,695 Company                         Working                                 Conditions R Calvin         Cumbria        Diversification  22,105    36,842                                 and Safety                                 Improvements McLeod Trawlers  Devon          Improved Hygiene 14,545    24,242                                 and Working                                 Conditions                                                  42,452    70,754                                                            113,206 PORT FACILITIES Company          Location       Project          FIFG (£)  MFA (£) The New Orford   Suffolk        Refurbishment of 91,101 Town Trust                      Quay Yorkshire and    Scarborough    Shellfish        172,904 Humberside                      Holding Facility Whitby Shellfish Shoreham Port    West Sussex    Pontoons with    28,915                                 Electricity and                                 Water Supply Dorset Handline  Dorset         Insulated Bins   21,834    3,669 Fishermen's                     and Ice Plant Association Bridlington      East Yorkshire Shellfish Tank   14,750 Shellfish                       Upgrades Company Independent      East Yorkshire Improved         31,705 Shellfishermen's                Handling Co-Operative                    Facilities City of London   London         Better Quality   99,003 Corporation                     Cooling and (Billingsgate)                  Ventilation Barrow Borough   Cumbria        Improved Landing 20,000 Council                         Facilities Newhaven         East Sussex    Landing/Berthing 38,457    12,819 Enterprises                     Quay Development Yarmouth Harbour Isle of Wight  Development      26,000 Commissioners                   Study North Sunderland Northumberland Gear Stores      462,500 Harbour Commissioners (Seahouses)                                                  1,007,169 16,482                                                            1,023,657 PROCESSING AND MARKETING Company          Location       Project          FIFG (£)  MFA (£) The Blue Seafood Devon          Improved System  38,598    38,598 Company                         to minimise                                 Environmental                                 Impact Whitby Seafoods  North          Refrigeration    19,507    6,502 Limited          Yorkshire      Equipment J Sykes & Sons   Lancashire     Construction of  147,488   147,488                                 New Cold Store J & P Exotics    London         Temperature      2,998     999                                 Controlled                                 Facility Kim Son Ltd      London         Cold Store       50,516    16,839                                 Facilities Box Clever       Grimsby        State of the Art 132,000   132,000                                 Box Wash Factory Coombe Fisheries Devon          Whelk Waste      5,723     5,723                                 Disposal Roach Brothers   Hull           Extension and    55,356    18,419                                 Installation of                                 Smoking Units Norman Rogers    Grimsby        Upgrade of       63,678    63,678                                 Premises Three Oceans     Hull           Thermal Oil      42,116    14,039 Fish Company Ltd                Fryer and Steam                                 Deglazer Browse Brothers  Devon          Factory Upgrade  5,175     1,725 S & J Fisheries  Devon          New Processing   51,333    17,111 Ltd                             Unit                                                  614,488   463,121                                                            1,077,609 PRODUCT PROMOTION Company          Location       Project          FIFG (£)  MFA (£) SFIA- Seafood    Edinburgh      National         257,750 Week                            Marketing                                 Campaign 2007                                                            257,750 SUSTAINABLE PROJECTS FROM THE INDUSTRY Company          Location       Project          FIFG (£)  MFA (£) Shell Fishermen  London         Implementation   12,938 Association of                  of National GB                              Shellfish                                 Development                                 Strategy North Eastern    Yorkshire      Lobster Stock    31,722 Sea Fisheries                   Monitoring Committee SFIA - Lean      Edinburgh      Introduction of  31,000 Manufacturing                   Lean Six Sigma                                 Techniques to                                 Industry Seafood Cornwall Devon and      Extension into   50,000 Ltd              Dorset         Devon and                                 Cornwall Whitby &         North          Foundation in    18,567 District Fishing Yorkshire      Fishing Course Industry Training School Whitby &         North          Pre-apprentice   18,267 District Fishing Yorkshire      Course Industry Training School Seafood Training North Shields  Skills Hub Centre                                                  300,216                                                            300,216 INNOVATIVE MEASURES Company          Location       Project          FIFG (£)  MFA (£) South West Food  Devon, Dorset  Mapping          102,537 and Drink        and Somerset   Fisheries                                 Activities and                                 Knowledge Warkworth        Northumberland Siltation Study  14,998 Harbour Commissioners                                                  117,535                                                            117,535 AQUACULTURE Company          Location       Project          FIFG (£)  MFA (£) Bolton Abbey     North          Bio Secure       2,858     4,764 Trout Hatchery   Yorkshire      Source of Water Riverside        Devon          Improved         73,950    123,250 Rainbows                        Recirculation                                 System                                                  76,808    128,014                                                            204,822                                 Total                      £3,094,795

Client ref WW276/SWW/07