FLAG Factsheet
The FLAG area covers the whole lake Vättern, which is the second largest lake in Sweden. There are around 20 commercial small-scale fishermen and the species of greatest economic value is crayfish. The lake is also famed for the Arctic char, a popular catch for sports fishers an important activity to the region. Other common catches salmon, trout, pike and perch. Fishermen in the area do a lot of their own processing, for example, smoking of fish and boiling crayfish.
Despite this, relatively low amounts of fish caught in the lake are consumed locally which is a challenge to the area. As are the challenges associated with developing tourism and diversifying, or even including, fisheries in the tourism sector. The FLAG aims to develop sports tourism as a means of creating jobs. Environmental concerns associated with migration barriers and the management of fish stocks are also a challenge to the FLAG.
The whole of Lake Vättern (2151 km2) is a Nature 2000 area. There are three areas protected from fishing all year, where only fishing for crayfish is allowed.
The Lake Vättern FLAG’s local development strategy is focused on the following four main themes:
More specific objectives within the FLAG strategy include:
National and regional
Project examples for the FLAG include:
For more information about our ongoing projects, please visit our website: http://www.vattern.org/stod-for-fiske/projekt/
The FLAG makes project selections four times a year, normally in normally February, April, September, December. More in information is available on the FLAG website
The FLAG has experience and expertise in fish conservation, environmental monitoring, local development management, inland small-scale fisheries and sports fishing tourism.
The FLAG is interested in cooperation projects related to diversification, increasing value of the fishing resource, increased use of undervalued species, fishing tourism, fishing management and conservation.
The FLAG is also a LEADER LAG, but FLAG operations are solely funded by the EMFF. The two share a legal structure, a territory and certain board members. The FLAG also cooperates informally with the following neighbouring LEADER LAGs: Östra Skaraborg, Nordvästra Skaraborg, Mellansjölandet, Folkungaland and Västra Småland. The FLAG also take part in CLLD national network activities.
FLAG members include the local municipalities (Jönköping, Ödeshög, Vadstena, Motala, Askersund, Karlsborg, Hjo, Habo), a fishermen’s organisation, private fishing companies, private processing companies, individual fishermen, several NGOs, representatives from the tourism sector, the county administrative board (financing and adjunct board member) and a fisheries research institute (adjunct board member).