Wales fishing industry to receive cash boost. – Fishupdate.com

Wales fishing industry to receive cash boost. Published:  10 July, 2009

THE fishing industry in Wales is to receive a £930,000 cash boost in an attempt to revive its fortunes, the regional government has announced.

In what is Wales’ first new fishing strategy, the money will be used for a number of key projects including cleaning up the area around Cardigan Bay for sea fishing and for developing a satellite safety system for fishermen.

Speaking at a fish farm near Anglesey, Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones said barriers will be cleared and passes installed on sections of the Wye and Usk to let fish reach spawning grounds. “This is the first of a series of funding announcements for Welsh fisheries,” he added. The money is coming from the European funding and from the Welsh Assembly for five schemes.

The Welsh fishing industry is the smallest in the UK with just over 1,000 full time fishermen and another 400 working on a part time basis. Welsh ports like Milford Haven lost their distant water ports in the 1970s around the same time as ports such as Grimsby, Hull and Aberdeen.

The Cardigan Bay Fishermen’s Association will receive £263,285 to improve the value of their catch, and a development plan for prawn fishing. More than £245,000 has been announced for the RNLI Man Overboard scheme which includes a special safety device to alert rescue services if someone is washed overboard from a fishing boat. Another £9,908 was awarded to expand a responsible fishing scheme of the Sea Fish Industry Authority, which trains fishermen.