FARNET
Fisheries Areas Network
FLAG Factsheet
Fisheries activities have been long rooted in the FLAG area and, present in both its coastal waters and lagoons, are still closely associated with the local heritage. Indeed, it is the second French Mediterranean production area, hosting both fishing activities (small-scale fishing, foot fishing, beach seine and trawlers) and shellfish farming (oysters and mussels). However, in recent years, a reduction in production and marketing capacity, among other things, have resulted in many job losses and led to a weakening of the sector.
As such, the main challenges the FLAG aims to address include maintaining adequate levels of income in the sector, creating economic development without impacting the resource, preventing the closing down of small fishing trades, maintaining and renewing the shellfish farms without producing or collecting more, and preserving the environment.
The FLAG has many natural areas of high environmental value, such as the Marine Nature Park of the Golfe du Lion and the regional nature reserve of Saint Lucie. Natura 2000 zones cover 51% of the land territory, the 3-mile strip is fully covered by a Natura 2000 zone at sea and the Narbonnaise lagoons are classified as "wetlands of international importance" of the Ramsar Convention.
The FLAG’s strategy aims to support activities under three key axes:
Regional/provincial
Projects can be presented and selected on an ongoing basis.
The FLAG is interested in developing cooperation projects in line with its strategy, sharing good practice and optimising resources.
The Grand Narbonne urban community, which runs the FLAG, has been working with neighbouring rural communities since 2008 to implement a LEADER rural development strategy to drive development and reinforce the urban-rural links and coastal-rural links within the East Audois GALEA LEADER LAG. The themes of work are mobility, the safeguarding of services, support to primary production activities and adding value to local agricultural products through circuits short and synergies with tourism activities. In 2016, it integrated EMFF CLLD into this initiative as a maritime component of GALEA.
