Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), Ireland’s Seafood Development Agency in conjunction with North East Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG), reminds potential applicants in Counties Louth, Dublin and Meath that the Coastal Community Development Scheme is open for applications until Tuesday 20 May 2025. 

The Fisheries Local Action Groups are a community-led local development initiative, whose primary focus is to enhance the economic opportunities and social sustainability of coastal areas, many of which are dependent on fisheries and aquaculture. A total of €2.1 million funding has been allocated to the seven Irish FLAGs for 2025.

The Scheme opened for 2025 applications on Tuesday 22 April 2025 and remains open for four weeks, closing at 23.59 on Tuesday 20 May 2025. It is important to note that only projects that can be completed by 31 October 2025 will be considered eligible under this round. Applicants can apply for funding for projects that will not meet this deadline under later calls. 

FLAG funding is potentially available to individuals, Small Scale Coastal Fishing and other fishing vessel owners, micro or small enterprises in the Blue Economy, charities, community groups and fisheries collectives, who propose projects that meet the objectives of the local development strategies. Only projects located within 10km of the coast (high water mark) are eligible for funding, however, in exceptional circumstances enterprises or initiatives located further inland that have a direct impact on the coast may also be supported.

The North East FLAG comprises the coastal zones of Counties Louth, Meath and Dublin (Finglas, South Dublin & Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown), with a population of 223,454 within 10km of the coast.  

Major ports in the area include Howth, Clogherhead, Balbriggan and Skerries. Clogherhead and Howth handled 2% of the volume of Irish landings in 2022 and accounted for 5% of the overall value. There are 17 seafood processing companies in the North East region employing the second highest number of people across the seven FLAG areas, after the FLAG South region. The region has significant oyster farming activity and a growing tourism industry. 

Applications for funding under this Scheme must be made via the new online BIM portal for grants. It will be a competitive call – meaning if an applicant is deemed eligible, they will then be ranked according to the criteria set out by their respective FLAG board and funding will be allocated to the top-ranking projects in order, until all funds are allocated. 

We encourage potential applicants to contact one of our dedicated National FLAG Network Officers or check the BIM website for online information events. We will be sharing video tutorials on how to use the online grants system, and our team of Regional Development Officers can also help or put you in touch with our dedicated grant support service.

All information relating to the Scheme and contact details for our FLAG and Regional Development officers is available on www.bim.ie 

The scheme is implemented under Ireland’s Seafood Development Programme, jointly funded by the Irish Government and the EU under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF).

There are seven local development strategies, which set out the priorities for funding in their area, covering all coastal areas with a reliance on fishing and aquaculture namely; FLAG Northeast (Louth, Meath, Dublin), FLAG Southeast (Wicklow, Wexford, Waterford), FLAG South (Cork), FLAG Southwest (Kerry, Limerick), FLAG West (Galway, Clare), FLAG Northwest (Mayo, Sligo) and FLAG North (Donegal). Each strategy is available on www.bim.ie/fisheries/funding/fisheries-local-action-groups-flags/