The first panel dates for England’s relaunched Fisheries and Seafood Scheme (FaSS) have been confirmed by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), with GBP 6 million (USD 7.5 million, EUR 7.1 million) of annual funding being made available until April 2025.
Administered by MMO on behalf of the U.K. government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the grant scheme was relaunched last month to help support the long-term sustainability, resilience, and prosperity of the seafood sector across England.
According to the MMO, improvements made to the scheme include simplified guidance, enhanced levels of funding for micro-entities and funding that is better targeted at the sector’s needs.
The scheme will continue to match fund projects that boost business resilience and increase sustainability in the fishing industry, and which strengthen support for food producers across the catching, processing, and aquaculture sectors, it said.
Applications with a total project cost of more than GBP 150,000 (USD 187,00, EUR 177,000) will be considered by a FaSS panel, which is responsible for reviewing and recommending projects.
Building on the success of year one, the relaunched FaSS has is already attracting significant interest from the industry, MMO Director of Finance and Resources Michelle Willis said.
“The scheme aims to support the long-term sustainability and success of the seafood sector throughout England, and we encourage potential applicants to act now and get in touch, our grants team are here to support you through the process,” she said.
The panels for 2022 are expected to take place week commencing 22 August and week commencing 28 November. Applications to be considered at these sessions should be completed and submitted to MMO by 1 July and 7 October respectively.
In 2021, FaSS supported more than 550 projects across a range of seafood and marine businesses, charities, and other organizations.
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