Seafood business based in Skerries nets funding

BORD Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) has announced details of a €651,734 investment for 22 coastal based projects, including one in north county Dublin.  

Skerries-based Egan’s Ocean Fresh has secured funding under the Fisheries Local Area Action Group (FLAG) Strategy. 

The initiative provides funding which fosters coastal community rejuvenation, enterprise, innovation, job creation and skills enhancement across the fishing, aquaculture and maritime industries.

Egan’s Ocean Fresh applied for FLAG funding this year.The fishmonger’s and seafood processing business was established almost 100 years ago in 1922 and features in a new Bord Iascaigh Mhara video campaign to raise awareness of FLAG.

Tony Gunnery, owner and manager of Egan’s Ocean Fresh, supplies locally sourced fresh, frozen and value-added white fish to supermarkets, restaurants and farmers’ markets throughout Leinster. 

Mr Gunnery applied for FLAG funding to expand his business and to increase Egan’s production capacity to meet an increasing demand for its products. 

The funding has helped his business to develop a processing facility and factory retail outlet where he works with Simon Gell of Simon’s Fish Products to supply fish cakes, pies and other value added seafood products throughout Leinster.

Jim O’Toole, chief executive of Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), said the FLAG Programme would continue to promote sustainable growth in the local economies of Irish coastal towns and villages and provide a significant boost to these important communities. 

“By 2020, the FLAG Programme will have invested up to €12 million in Ireland’s coastal communities, providing jobs, and exciting opportunities to men and women who live along Ireland’s coastline,” said Mr O’Toole.

The FLAG programme is co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).

More than 400 applications have been made to the FLAG programme this year. 

All applications were reviewed by individual FLAG Boards in each of the seven FLAG regions throughout Ireland.

Applications for 2019 FLAG are now open. 

Details of the programme and on how to apply can be found at www.bim.ie/schemes/