FLAG Factsheet
The Ostseeküste FLAG is situated next to the capital city of Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel in the north of Germany and borders the Baltic sea to the west of this city.
As a brack water sea, the Baltic offers only a relatively small number of fish species. Often, these species have developed a special habitat form due to their isolation. Important fish species here are herring, codfish, butt, salmon, sea trout and sprat.
Fishing here is mostly done by using gillnets, trawls, fish traps, long ropes and “Strandwaden”. The FLAG area has six harbours available in addition to other landing stations for fishermen.
The Ostseeküste FLAG, which also functions as the “fishery” working group within the “AktivRegion Ostseeküste”, works on many different issues. The major aim is to strengthen craft fisheries, to improve sustainable fishing methods for better protection of the sea ecosystem as well as to develop fishery communities by demonstrating the fisheries heritage as a part of the coastal culture of the area.
One focal point is the networking of fishermen, representatives of the gastronomy sector, municipalities, schools, tourism, museums, harbours and persons engaged in the cultural sector.
The challenges for the FLAG include the insufficient usage of the market potential the fisheries sector offers and a low quota of caught fish compared to the existing demand. That is due to legal limits and the politics implemented. Additionally, the consumers became more critical because of condemning media reports connecting fish farming and environmental pollution.
Natura 2000 areas: An EU Bird protection area and FFH-area within the German coastal sea (12 sm zone) and a Nature conservation site Bottsand
Broad aims of the strategy include:
Local
Projects can be submitted constantly to the FLAG manager or the regional management
The FLAG has experience in:
The FLAG is currently developing a cooperation project with neighbouring FLAGs.
The Baltic coast FLAG is situated within the area of the “AktivRegion Ostseeküste LAG”. It has an own strategy and working group, and representatives of this working group regularly participate in the board meetings of the LAG. The FLAG and the LAG share the same management. The Baltic coast FLAG is working together with the following CLLD groups and FLAGs: LAG Ostseeküste, FLAG Schlei-Ostsee, FLAG Hügelland am Ostseestrand, FLAG Wagrien-Fehmarn, FLAG Innere Lübecker Bucht, FLAG Steinburg, FLAG Dithmarschen, FLAG Südliches Nordfriesland und, FLAG Nordfriesland Nord.
The FLAG members include: municipalities, fishermen, the Thünen-Institut für Ostseefischerei (research institute under the auspices of the German Ministry of Food and Agriculture), Kieler Stadt- und Schifffahrtsmuseum (public town and shipping museum), the Lighthouse Foundation (private foundation for seas and oceans, Kiel), Aquakultur Kieler Förde (private enterprise), BUND e. V. (Environmental NGO), GEOMAR Aquarium (public aquarium of the Helmholtz centre of ocean research Kiel) and the Ostsee-Info-Center (environmental education center).