FARNET
Fisheries Areas Network
Country Factsheet
Fishing has a strong tradition in the coastal regions and in some inland areas of Germany. The main issues include a decline of fish stocks; high unemployment rate and low GDP per capita in some fisheries areas compared to other areas in Germany; the vulnerability of the sector to market fluctuations; and environmental degradation, especially eutrophication in the Baltic Sea. CLLD in Germany aims to better take into account the multi-sectoral needs of fisheries areas (tourism, heritage, local products, etc.); to develop capacity and know-how within the 29 German FLAGs; to simplify administrative procedures; and to promote networking with other regions and the sharing of information.
The total value of all fish caught is less than 2% of the total value of the country’s agricultural output. Nevertheless, fishing has a strong tradition in the coastal regions and also in some inland areas. About 1 372 people are employed full-time in fishing, with a further 1 063 in the aquaculture sector. Overall, the fisheries sector employs more than 40 000 people and provides consumers with over 1.2 million metric tonnes of high-quality fisheries products each year, with a total value of €8.5 billion.
German fisheries activities are mainly confined to the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and long distant waters. In January 2012, the fleet consisted of 1 582 vessels, which makes it one of the smallest fleets in the European Union. Fishing on the Baltic coast is almost exclusively small-scale, with 1 174 vessels of less than 12 meters, using mainly passive gear such as gill nets and fish traps. The evolution of the fishing fleet in recent years shows that there has been a slight decrease in terms of the number of vessels, especially those under 12 meters, which declined by 27%.
Around 80% of the total output of inland fisheries comes from aquaculture, a sector with considerable potential for growth. The remaining 20% comes from traditional river and lake fisheries. In addition to professional fishermen, more than 1.5 million recreational fishermen use and manage Germany's waterways, catching around 9 000 tonnes of fish every year.
Contact details of the managing authority can be found here.
More information about national EMFF programmes can be found here.
In the previous programming period, Germany had a total of 23 FLAGs. In two of the six Länder concerned (Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western-Pomerania), the FLAGs had strong links with LEADER. In general, the FLAGs in Germany represented a variety of actors, including the public and private sectors (i.e. fisheries, tourism, agriculture), as well as civil society.
The main achievement in Germany is the improved networking between these different actors. While the focus and size of the partnerships varied, a priority for all FLAGs was the participation of actors from the fisheries sector, which was not always easy to achieve.
The main challenges that community-led local development (CLLD) will have to address in Germany’s fisheries areas in the coming years include:
To cope with these challenges, and taking into account the lessons from the past, the objectives of CLLD in Germany in the period 2014-2020 are:
The number of FLAGs has increased from 23 up to 29 covering the same six Länder: Niedersachsen, Schleswig-Holstein, Sachsen, Bayern, Bremen and Mecklenburg-Western-Pomerania. Compared to 2007-2013, the total budget for CLLD has decreased from €33.6 million to €24.6 million, which means the average budget per FLAG will fall from €1.5 million to €0.82 - €0.85 million.
In Germany, coordination between funds or multi funding, especially between the EAFRD and the EMFF is encouraged. LAGs/FLAGs decide autonomously how best to coordinate the different funds (e.g. joint working groups, joint implementation strategy, etc..).
The German national network (NN) for the period 2007–2013 was formally established in the second half of 2011, following agreement by the six German Länder that participated in Axis 4 of the EFF and the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection. The NN was coordinated by two FLAGs (Bremerhaven and Lower Saxony) and was conceived as a pilot for future networking activities.
For the 2014-2020 period, the German Operational Programme proposed the re-establishment of the network of FLAGs, without detailing the mandate, timing or budget. The establishement did not materialise due to administrative reasons.
The selection of FLAGs is the responsibility of the Länder, which may use different processes.
The FLAG strategies were developed at local level using a bottom-up process, which involved the participation of a broad range of actors. In this context, and given the different profiles of the FLAG areas selected, the strategies vary from one area to another. However, all FLAGs must prioritise some of the following themes identified in the operational programme:
| Code | Name | Region | Surface area (km²) | Population | Population density (per km²) | Employment in fisheries* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE201 | Northern North Friesland FLAG | Schleswig-Holstein |
56 | 1236 | 22 | 36 |
| DE202 | Southern North Friesland FLAG | Schleswig-Holstein |
56 | 1236 | 22 | 36 |
| DE203 | Dithmarschen FLAG | Schleswig-Holstein |
88 | 14106 | 107 | 42 |
| DE204 | Steinburg FLAG | Schleswig-Holstein |
23 | 11815 | 514 | 42 |
| DE205 | Schlei-Baltic Sea FLAG | Schleswig-Holstein |
417 | 57956 | 139 | 39 |
| DE206 | Hills of the Baltic Sea beach FLAG | Schleswig-Holstein |
470 | 71800 | 153 | 40 |
| DE207 | Baltic Sea coast FLAG | Schleswig-Holstein |
175 | 35350 | 185 | 61 |
| DE208 | Wagrien-Fehmarn FLAG | Schleswig-Holstein |
584 | 66859 | 114 | 252 |
| DE209 | Inner Luebeck Bay FLAG | Schleswig-Holstein |
92 | 21140 | 230 | 45 |
| DE210 | Lower Saxon North Sea coast FLAG | Lower Saxony |
1593 | 198825 | 124 | 289 |
| DE211 | Tirschenreuth / Land of a thousand ponds FLAG | Bavaria |
1084 | 76308 | 68 | 1000 |
| DE212 | Karpfenland Middle Upper Palatinate FLAG | Bavaria |
1896 | 170110 | 90 | |
| DE213 | Karpfenland Aischgrund FLAG | Bavaria |
1878799 | 280000 | 149 | 1600 |
| DE214 | Karpfenland Romantic Franconia FLAG | Bavaria |
1972 | 182178 | 92 | 50 |
| DE215 | Delitzsch area FLAG | Saxony |
580 | 80849 | 139 | 10 |
| DE216 | South Leipzig area FLAG | Sachsen |
575 | 120583 | 209 | 15 |
| DE217 | Saxon Zweistromland - East Elbe FLAG | Saxony |
919 | 62109 | 67 | 12 |
| DE218 | Elbe-Roeder Triangle FLAG | Saxony |
299 | 29573 | 99 | 10 |
| DE219 | Dresdner Heidebogen FLAG | Saxony |
975 | 104500 | 107 | 51 |
| DE220 | Lusatian Lake District FLAG | Saxony |
917 | 60622 | 66 | 10 |
| DE221 | Heather and pond landscape of Oberlausitz FLAG | Saxony |
671 | 80343 | 105 | 50 |
| DE222 | Eastern Oberlausitz FLAG | Saxony |
1037 | 56034 | 57 | 20 |
| DE223 | Bremerhaven FLAG | Bremen |
4 | 247 | 39 | 4000 |
| DE224 | West Mecklenburg Baltic Sea coast FLAG | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern |
1402 | 127657 | 91 | 70 |
| DE225 | Baltic Sea - Bad Doberan FLAG | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern |
1362 | 115790 | 85 | 27 |
| DE226 | Guestrower District FLAG | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern |
2060 | 94835 | 46 | 28 |
| DE227 | Inland fishing Mecklenburg Lake District FLAG | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern |
4402 | 228871 | 52 | 150 |
| DE228 | North Western Pomerania FLAG | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern |
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| DE229 | Ruegen FLAG | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern |
978 | 64730 | 66 | 200 |