FARNET
Fisheries Areas Network
Good Practice Project
The project is promoted by the local Association of Women in the Fisheries Sector, in collaboration with the City Council (which donated an abandoned school building) and three local associations working on social inclusion of the handicapped. The project activities include:
The reconditioning and equipment of the new marine litter transformation centre;
Training (including study visits) for the associations’ members about the shellfish gathering sector, marine conservation, and the collection and processing of waste;
A workshop for fisheries professionals in the design of fishing tools, in collaboration with the University of A Coruña to produce prototypes and allow the fishing sector to test the products;
The organisation and implementation of beach clean-ups by people with disabilities, as well as the creation of collecting points near shellfish gathering controls;
The organisation of the World Oceans Day and World Environment Day events to raise awareness locally about marine litter, including the exhibition of the some of the waste material collected;
The design and implementation of a dissemination and communication campaign about the project.
Capitalising on the results of a previous FLAG project promoted by one of the associations involved, this initiative will provide the three associations with a larger facility to stock, sort and process plastic marine litter, and to train their members, including on the use of the new machinery.
The materials will be recycled into new items used by the fishing sector (for example by shellfish gatherers). The new products will be chosen and designed by the women from the fisheries sector. They will then be marketed and purchased by the fisheries organisations, remunerating the social associations and their members for their work.
The project has only recently been approved but is expected to advance the training of local people with disabilities, as well as their involvement in coastal conservation. In addition, the marine litter, derived largely from the fishing activity, will be collected and recycled, giving a second life to these materials while reducing coastal pollution. The ultimate goal is to create synergies between the different agents of the community to promote environmental sustainability, economic prosperity and social inclusion in the local area.
Marine litter is a widely shared problem for many FLAGs. This project shows how it can drive the area towards opportunities in the circular economy – such as giving a second life to waste materials, while at the same time bringing an economic benefit to groups at risk of social exclusion. To implement this sort of project effectively, it is essential to know the needs and capabilities of the different groups in your community, as well as the fishing sector, to ensure that both stakeholders make full use of the other’s abilities.
Lessons: The FLAG, as adviser and a source of funding for projects, has a great capacity to create linkages between different local stakeholders. This project arose thanks to the lessons and successes of a previous project, which led to the identification of potential synergies between different sectors of the community. It is important to keep your eyes open for these potential linkages and be open to innovation. This will allow you to obtain new benefits with less effort, by taking advantage of what has already been created to achieve new objectives.
Contribution to CLLD objective: (b) supporting diversification inside or outside commercial fisheries, lifelong learning and job creation in fisheries and aquaculture areas;
| Total project cost | €89 394 |
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| FLAG grant |
€89 394
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| Beneficiary contribution |
€903 |
| Timeframe of implementation | From Apr 2021 to Oct 2022 |
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