Small-scale and coastal fisheries

The FLAG is situated next to the capital city of Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel in the north of Germany and borders the Baltic sea to the west of this city. As a brack water sea, the Baltic offers only a relatively small number of fish species.

The South FLAG area covers the coast of County Cork including seven West Cork Islands, from the Kerry–Cork boundary West of Lauragh, in Kerry to the river at Youghal. The fleet in the area is distributed across many small harbours and piers all along the coast.

Unusually for Ireland, the FLAG area has a relatively strong urban structure with 22 settlements falling into the aggregate urban area category of over 1,500 inhabitants (14 of which are at close proximity to the coast).

The East Finland FLAG covers the large lake area of Saimaa located across four eastern provinces of Finland. There is a great potential to develop fisheries due to the large lake area, underexploited fish stocks, good demand for fish and excellent water quality.

Kainuu-Koillismaa is an area of dispersed settlement in North-East Finland with hundreds of lakes. The fishing traditions are strong and vital both among professional and non-professional fishermen. The lakes are mostly underfished and aquaculture has great potential.

The area has an excellent climate, is rich in natural resources and landscapes, and has a rare flora and fauna. The fisheries sector in the area is considered particularly important because it creates jobs and offers healthy products to the people.

Kerry is one of the most sparsely populated counties in Ireland with the most rural and peripheral areas in the county experiencing declining populations over the last 20 years. This is especially true of the coastal regions.

The area includes the coast of the Ilia prefecture and the Pinios Lake and is located along the western half of the Peloponnese peninsula. The fisheries activities found here are mostly small-scale.

The FLAG area consists of a combination of mountainous and coastal landscapes. It possesses Greece’s largest lagoon (the Messolonghi lagoon). Most of the fishing activity is small-scale and traditional and takes place in the Messolonghi lagoon.

The FLAG area lies in Eastern Macedonia, near the Turkish border. It can be characterised economically by the development of tourism, especially on the island of Samothraki.