FLAG Factsheet
The FLAG territory is situated in the middle of the Asturian coastline in Northern Spain with Cape (“Cabo”) Peñas as a remarkable landmark in the area. The diamond-shaped FLAG area is limited by the cities of Gijón, Oviedo and Avilés respectively located at the east, south and west of the territory.
Agriculture and fisheries are the economic activities that have been traditionally present in the territory. In the 19th century the canning industry experienced a boom in the coastal cities of Candás and Luanco. Nowadays, the fishing industry has very much declined and the predominantly small scale fleet has been reduced to around 70 vessels and is still decreasing. This is negatively affecting the whole value chain notably the canning industry. Local employment has therefore shifted partly towards the tertiary sector, mainly tourism.
Today, day fresh products such as sea bass, mullet, spider-crab, barnacle, squid and sea urchins are landed and sold in the three small ports of Candás, Luanco and Bañugues.
The FLAG is determined to relaunch a variety of activities related to fisheries, building on the existing strengths in the area such as the strong fisheries tradition and the available modern infrastructure in its harbours. Therefore, the FLAG has following objectives:
Regional
A first call for projects was organised in October 2016. Calls for project proposals will take place on an annual basis.
The FLAG is highly interested in sharing knowledge with other FLAGs that have experience in product development and marketing of locally landed products.
The two municipalities of the FLAG are also covered by the LEADER LAG “ADICAP”. The LAG area, however, also includes two other municipalities. Each group has its own strategy but extensive coordination happened during the development process. The legal structure and the partnerships are the same for both groups however.
The Asturian Network of Rural Development coordinates the work of 11 Asturian LAGs of which seven overlap with FLAGs and is key in facilitating coordination.
The FLAG has 29 members