Cultural heritage

The FLAG area consists of six municipalities and 11 communities. It covers the districts of Larnaca and Famagusta in the eastern part of Cyprus and represents 5.6% of the total area and 19.5% of the total coastline of the country. Fishing is an important activity in the area, with 4.3% of its workforce employed in the primary sector, 67% of which work in fishing.

Jammerbugt is situated in the north of the Jutland peninsula. Coastal fishing boats from the Jammerbugt area mostly operatie in the Thorup Strand (Skagerrak). At the Limfjord side of the FLAG area there are several communities with small ports which function mainly as bases for recreational fishing. There are many activities related to tourism in the wider coastal area.

The area is situated in the north-eastern part of Pomerania, in the Kaszuby Lake district. There are over 100 lakes and several rivers, the total surface of waters is over 6,000 hectares (nearly 5% of the FLAG area). Most of the lakes are owned by the state, others are rented by small family businesses which carry out extensive fish production.

Ostrobothnia is narrow coastal area which forms part of the Kvarken archipelago. This archipelago of rocks and boulder clay was formed during the last ice-age, about 10 000 years ago and is subject to isostatic uplift of about 1 cm per year or 1 m per century.

The FLAG territory covers both the Ria de Muros e Noia and the Ria de Corcubión. The region has historically been highly dependent on fishing even though the sector has not reached the same importance as it has in the south of Galicia.

Fishing communities of County Down in Northern Ireland have been struggling in recent times but the initiative ‘Maritime Heritage Tourism Infrastructure and Communication Project’ was able to give the region a major boost, particularly in the three port towns of Ardglass, Kilkeel and Portavogie.

FLAG cooperation in Slovenia is mandatory and all FLAGs had to foresee it in their strategies. In the period 2007-2013 there was only one FLAG in Slovenia, covering the coastal area, but in 2014-2020 there are also three new FLAGs in inland areas.

Three FLAGs from the Pomorskie region have helped create a new platform for fishermen to promote and sell their products by reviving the ancient tradition of the fish market, which had previously existed in Gdansk from 1343 until 1945. The market is open in August, at the height of the tourist season.

The area covers the municipalities of Alcácer do Sal, Grândola, Sines, Santiago do Cacém, Odemira. In economic terms, the FLAG area is characterised as having a low business density, with agriculture and tourism being the most important sectors. A restructuring of the local economy is, therefore, an essential element of any local development strategy.

The Mondego Mar FLAG is located in the centre of the Portuguese coastline and covers the municipalities of Cantanhede, Figueira da Foz, Mira and Montemor-o-Velho. This area is composed of marine, freshwater and estuarine ecosystems creating a complex and rich environment and hosting a range of fisheries activities, from aquaculture to shellfish harvesting to coastal fisheries.