Arcachon FLAG

Official name:

Pays Bassin d'Arcachon - Val de l'Eyre

Country:

France

Region:

Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Code:

FR215

Programming period:

2007-2013

2014-2020

Area

The Arcachon – Val de l’Eyre basin is a semi-closed bay where many marine activities take place, and in particular tourism, which is the key activity for the local economy. Fisheries and aquaculture are also important sectors in the area.

Fisheries is mostly concentrated in the Arcachon harbour, where the fish auction is located, and targets high-value species, such as sole, squid, sea bass and hake. Oyster farming is the main activity for aquaculture and is found all around the Basin.

Given the area’s reliance on tourism, a key challenge is to ensure other sectors, such as fisheries and aquaculture, retain their place at the heart of the economy, through adding-value to local products for instance. At the end of EFF-Axis 4 programming period, fishers, shellfish farmers and local stakeholders decided to continue their commitment to local development through the EMFF in order to strengthen fisheries and aquaculture within the territory, including through pesca-tourism.

Type of area:

Coastal

Sea Basins:

Atlantic

Protected areas:

Ten of the area’s seventeen municipalities have their coastal area included in the Marine Natural Park of the Arcachon Basin. Some of these municipalities and the seven others are part of the Regional Natural Park of Landes de Gascogne.

The Marine National Park of the Arcachon Basin is also a Natura 2000 area with the Natural Reserve, Banc d’Arguin.

Population

146 601

Surface area (km²)

1 494

Population density

Total employment in fisheries

6 100

Fishing:

500

Aquaculture:

1 100

Processing:

4 500

FLAG strategy

The FLAG’s strategy is entitled “An economic ambition shared by local stakeholders from a coveted territory to maintain innovative and sustainable fishing and shell-fish farming”. It includes 4 priority axes that address economic, social and environmental challenges:

Developing new fisheries products and fishing/aquaculture techniques
Adding value to local products, through better marketing and diversification of markets
Education and awareness-raising about the fisheries and aquaculture professions and strengthening territorial cohesion
Maintaining the good ecological and functional status of the local production areas

Themes:

Objective:

Adding value, creating jobs, and promoting innovation along the fisheries chain

Priority:

% of the budget allocated:

30%

Supporting diversification

15%

Enhancing and capitalising on the environmental assets

19%

Promoting social wellbeing and cultural heritage

Strengthening the role of fisheries communities in local development

17%

Funding

Total public budget allocated to the FLAG for 2014-2020:

2 075 000

EMFF:

1 037 500
MS co-financing:

1 037 500
Sources of co-funding:

national, regional, provincial

Project examples

The ideas of projects so far include:

Testing a new type of oyster cage
Developing an educational book about oyster farming
Identifying what makes locally-produced oysters different, in order to develop the collective brand “Les Huîtres Arcachon-Cap Ferret”
Introducing local fish and oysters into public catering, including in schools
Exploring ways to bring value-added to marine products and marketing of by-products.

Good Practice

Maritime job sharing

Attracting the young to oyster farming

FEMER marine skin

Calls for proposals

Interested parties can present projects throughout the programming period. However, depending on the subject the FLAG also expects to publish targeted calls for certain project types.

Expertise & cooperation

The FLAG has experience in introducing local fish and oysters into institutional catering and in implementing pesca-tourism.

It is interested in developing cooperation to improve the added-value of fisheries products through different processing and commercialization methods. The cooperation could include field trips first to gain experience from other initiatives, but also initiate the development of shared actions with other territories.

Budget envisaged for cooperation: €100 000 (40% EMFF, 40% state co-financing, 20% self-financing)

Cooperation is envisaged with other regional French FLAGs to develop fish products for institutional catering.

Cooperation ideas

European cooperation on actions for the preservation of water quality

Links with LEADER or other CLLD groups

The Pays Bassin d'Arcachon - Val de l'Eyre also supports a LEADER group which covers the same area as the FLAG. The LEADER LAG’s strategy focuses on economic development, innovation and local transport. The LAG shares its experience with the FLAG about the management of administrative issues.

Partnership

Members of the partnership:

FLAG members:

COBAS (Communauté d’Agglomération du Bassin d’Arcachon Sud – inter-municipal body) and Communauté de Commune Val de l’Eyre, the 2 other inter-municipal bodies which are part of the Pays BARVAL
professional fishing and shell-fishing organizations
an environmental association
a nautical federation
the inter-community tourism board

Lead partner: COBAS on behalf of the Pays Bassin d’Arcachon-Val de l’Eyre, associated to the local fishing and shell fishing sectors.

Number of individuals/organisations in partnership/general assembly:

% of fisheries actors:

57%

% of other (non-fisheries) private / NGO sector actors:

% of environmental actors:

Number of individuals on main decision-making body/board:

% of public actors:

29%

Number of contracted staff in FLAG:

1,00

Visuals

/fpfis/cms/farnet2/library/photos/alinedelamare1jpg_plaline_delamare_1.jpg

/fpfis/cms/farnet2/library/photos/bruizsibapechen8396jpg_plb._ruiz_siba_peche_n8396.jpg

English