£3 Million in grants

Scotland’s commercial fishing industry received another major boost yesterday with the announcement of £3 million in European fisheries grants for a total of 17 projects in the fishing, processing and aquaculture sectors as part of the latest round of European Fisheries Fund (EFF) grants.

The biggest single grant of £1.3m has been awarded to Thistle Seafoods in Peterhead towards a factory extension, companies and organisations in Shetland are to receive more than £860,000, the Outer Hebrides almost £400,000, and the Highlands and Moray more than £280,000.

Smaller grants include one of £51K for Gairloch harbour for the provision of ice making and storage facilities; £174K to Lossie Seafoods to upgrade its Buckie processing plant; £105K for a second slipway in the Crinan Boatyard in Argyll; and £192K to the Sea Fish Industry Authority to help develop an information service to the fishing industry on underwater hazards posed by the North Sea oil and gas industry’s infrastructure.

Scotland’s rural affairs and environment secretary Richard Lochhead said the new funding package had brought the total level of EFF investment for the Scottish industry for 2009 to more than £17m.

Category: Scottish Government News