Cultural heritage

Fishing on the Swedish side of the Öresund strait consists almost exclusively of local small-scale coastal fisheries providing unique opportunities for local fisheries development. The revenue from the Öresund area is among the highest in Sweden and the fish stocks amongst the strongest.

The FLAG area consists of woodland and a large number of lakes and rivers as well as some off-shore islands. This is a coastal region that includes eight municipalities in total. Bräcke, Ånge, Timrå and Sollefteå are inland municipalities with lakes and rivers connected to the coastal waters. Sundsvall, Kramfors, Härnösand, and Örnsköldsvik municipalities have inland lakes and rivers as well as coastal maritime environments.

The Aveiro FLAG coincides with the Aveiro lagoon (“Ria de Aveiro”), the biggest lagoon in Portugal (60km long and 25km wide) which is a 'Bird Directive Site' included in the European Natura 2000 network. Several small-scale fishing communities can be found in five municipalities along the coast and lagoon (Ovar, Murtosa, Aveiro, Ílhavo and Vagos).

Located in the south-west of Estonia, the FLAG area is situated around the Pärnu Gulf. The largest of the Estonian counties, Pärnu geographically covers 10.6% of the Estonian mainland and a total of 177 islands; of which only two, Kihnu and Manija, are inhabited.

Lake Võrtsjärv is the second largest lake in the Baltic countries and the largest lake in Estonia. The lake is covered with ice, on average, 130 days a year (from the end of November until mid-April). Total catches in the FLAG area have fallen in recent years which is a challenge. This is due, in large, to a decline in consumer demands for smaller bream

Hiiumaa is a beautiful un-spoilt island in the Baltic sea to the west of Estonia which can be reached in about 90 minutes by ferry from the mainland. The FLAG area consists of Hiiumaa island and a number of small islets surrounding it which together form the county of Hiiu. This county is divided into five municipalities, of which four are part of the FLAG.

The Harju FLAG area covers 530km of coastline along the Gulf of Finland and features numerous peninsulas and bays. Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is situated centrally in the area and offers local producers access to a substantial market. Tallinn also draws a relatively young workforce to the area and offers wide-ranging tourism opportunities.

Open natural areas, idyllic villages, extensive avenues, castles and manor houses dominate the landscape. The economy of this area traditionally consisted of agriculture, the food industry and tourism.

The FLAG area is located south of the coastal city of Rostock and the area of the Baltic Sea – Bad Doberan FLAG area in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It covers the territory of the Guestrow district and is an inland area. The main fishing activities in the region are small-scale inland pond fisheries.

Rügen is an island in the Baltic Sea and the largest in Germany. It is known for its beaches and white chalk cliffs which span coastline of approximately 574 kilometres. The island is also well-known for the Jasmund National Park which his home to primeval beech forests and white-tailed eagles.