SBFLAG Project proposals at 30th June 2020

SWANSEA BAY FISHERIES LOCAL ACTION GROUP (SBFLAG) PROJECT PROPOSALS AT 30 JUNE 2020 1.

SWANSEA BAY FISHERIES LOCAL ACTION GROUP (SBFLAG)

1.1

The following projects meet the Swansea Bay FLAG themes and objectives and are at various stages of development from development of the project idea to approval by the members of the SBFLAG or finally, implementation and delivery of the project.

2.

PROJECTS DELIVERED

2.1

Assessment of the Oyster Stock/Population Feasibility Study – The study was to carry out research on the site to assess how successful the oysters are at providing wider ecosystem services such as water cleaning and biodiversity gains. There were still questions outstanding how best to undertake restoration to have maximum impact on both environment and on commercial viably e.g. increasing survival. The full report can be found • • • •

2.2

Applicant: Swansea Council SBFLAG Theme 3/Objective 9: Making the most of the local natural environment SBFLAG: 100% Funding: £4,999

Seafood Cookery Demonstrations at Swansea Market - The project proposal is to hold a number of seafood cookery demonstrations in Swansea Market during September 2019. The project will identify local chefs to give live cooking demonstrations allowing the audience an opportunity to smell, touch and taste as well as see the food prepared. The dishes to be cooked will be healthy and may include other local produce i.e. cockles and laverbread.

Each demonstration will last for approximately 45 minutes and at the end the audience will be invited to experience a small taster of the cooked dish. The events will be filmed and photographs taken and published via social media

and local media channels. Opportunity to smell, touch and taste as well as see the food prepared.

• • • • •

Applicant: Swansea Council EMFF: EMFF Eligibility Guidance Notes - Section 35.

SBFLAG Theme 3/Objective 9: Making the most of the local natural environment Funding Approved: £7,950.26 Menter a Business Funding: up to £2k

2.

PROJECTS IN IMPLEMENTATION (BEING DELIVERED)

2.1

Fish is the Dish 2020/21 Swansea Bay FLAG have received funding to deliver the ‘Fish is the Dish’ project. This project will provide primary school children located within the SBFLAG area with an opportunity to take part in interactive lessons in seafood, to improve awareness of fish as a food, encourage them to eat more fish, understand different species and learn about fish dishes and its health benefits.

The Education pack ‘Fish is the Dish 2020’ will be a key resource for improving awareness of fish as food amongst primary school children, and encouraging children to eat more fish. It will be a set of cross-curricular lessons and resources designed to e ngage children with fish as a food, different species of fish, fish dishes and the health benefits of eating fish.

The interactive local seafood lesson will give primary children the chance to learn more about and taste the seafood species commonly landed, harvested or sold in the Swansea Bay area.

Where able, the local seafood was sourced directly from local fisheries businesses (i.e. local fishermen, wholesalers and fishmongers.

Nerys Howells (picture above), the project’s food consultant is currently liaising with schools across the Swansea Bay area to make arrangements to deliver the 1.15 hour lesson to pupils.

• • • • 2.2

Applicant: Swansea Council SBFLAG Theme 3/Objective 9: Making the most of the local natural environment Funding Requested: £62,000 Date to completion: October 2021

Fish Auction Feasibility Study at Burry Port Harbour Whitfish would collect fish and shellfish landed at all South Wales ports and transport this to the base in Burry Port. They would offer a similar service to North Wales ports provided the demand for this could be shown.

The feasibility study will: Confirm that sufficient members of the catching sector would supply Whitfish with their catch for auction.  Confirm that buyers, both for direct sale / use and for wholesale would use the auction facility if available.  Confirm the proposed advantages for both catching and buying sectors which would be in place by use of an auction facility.  Establish that the proposal is commercially viable on an on-going basis.  Confirm the skills within and available to Whitfish will be sufficient to pursue the plan and establish training requirements if not.

• • • •

2.3

Applicant: Whitall’s Fisheries Ltd. SBFLAG Theme 1 & 5: Objectives 1,2,4,5 & 12 Funding: £8,000 Completion date: September 2020

Copper Jack – New Destinations” (Feasibility Study) The Swansea Community Boat ‘Copper Jack’ is operated by a charitable Trust for the benefit of community groups, schools and the public, including visitors to Swansea Bay.

The Trust is working to promote ‘Copper Jack’ as an iconic part of the Swansea Waterfront and Copper Works sites along the Tawe Navigation, raising the profile of Swansea Bay as a “heritage visitor destination”.

‘Copper Jack’ operates between Swansea Marina and the Upper Bank Smelting Hall. The unsafe Morfa Bascule Bridge prevented navigation further up the river, but with its renovation underway the route of ‘Copper Jack’ will soon be extended to the Liberty Stadium and possibly further upstream.

Landing passengers at the Copper Works and/or Liberty Stadium will enhance the visitor offer, especially on match days. As high quality hospitality provision is developed, there will be opportunities for food based business on the Swansea Waterfront to offer local produce including seafood, as part of a memorable experience with sustainable water transport to the Liberty Stadium. It is likely that ‘Copper Jack’ will be joined in due course by water taxis and other boat operations.

There is potential for growing the market for boat trips, especially with the exciting developments taking shape at the Hafod/Morfa Copper Works site.

The “Park and Float”, offering sustainable transport to Swansea City Centre for example.

We will request consultants will be commissioned to prepare a feasibility study, with detailed design and costings for a mobile landing pontoon to be moored alongside existing river quays that served the historic Copper Works, including one near the Liberty Stadium.

The consultants will also update costings for extending the trip boat route from the Tawe Navigation to the Swansea and Tennant Canals. This will flag up longer-term aspirations to bring together Swansea’s Maritime and Fishing, Copper Works and Inland Waterways Heritage to create a visitor destination of national importance.

Additional input will come from another leading waterways consultant, on a pro bono basis. The report will be in written form (Word) and accompanied by a “fly through” visualisation commissioned from a leading local graphic designer. This report will be presented to the members of the SBFLAG and published via the SBFLAG webpages.

• • • •

Applicant: Swansea Community Boat Trust SBFLAG Themes – Theme 2/Objective 7 Funding Requested: £4,000 Delivery date: August 2020

3.

PROJECTS IN ANIMATION /WAITING ON WELSH GOVERNMENT APPROVAL WAITING ON WELSH GOVERNMENT APPROVAL

3.4

Harbour Improvements - The SBFLAG have proposed to purchase a number of items for harbour improvement across the four FLAG harbours i.e.

Porthcawl, River Afan, Swansea and Burry Port. Items include harbour lighting, installing valuable electrical power to pontoons, supplying defibrillators and providing Atlantis Pedestals where required. Items to be purchased have been broken down by harbour with total cost of approx. £40k as follows:Burry Port Harbour • Installation of 5 new flood lights to various locations around the marina • Supply and fit new Power Pedestal to Fisherman’s pontoon • Supply and install 1 Defibrillator to agreed location • Supply and install 1 Atlantis Pedestal to agreed location • Safety ladders on pontoons – 2m x 6 + 60 deployment straps • Pontoon Slipway Security Fob x 1 Swansea Marina • Installation of 3 new floodlights to uploading area for fishermen • Install 5 new metered Power Pedestals onto the Pontoon • Safety ladders on pontoons – 2m x 6 + 60 deployment straps Porthcawl Marina • Install 2 new floodlights on 2.5m stanchions fixed directly to the pontoon, each controlled by a time delay switch • Supply and install a Defibrillator with a new electrical supply • Supply and install an Atlantis Pedestal to agreed location • Safety ladders on pontoons – 2m x 6 + 60 deployment straps River Afan • Install a Defibrillator with new electrical supply • Install an Atlantis Pedestal to agreed location

ANIMATION 3.2

Environmental and sustainable strategy project to clear plastics and other rubbish from the River Tawe - This project is being developed with one of the SBFLAG members to ensure the scope of work is realistic and achievable. Pembrokeshire were recently undergoing a similar type project and we are hoping that we can use their template.

3.2

Removal of Rocks from Knab Rock slipway and the Creation of a Native Oyster habitat - This is a two part project with part one removing the rocks from the bottom of Knab Rock and surrounding area to enable fishermen to unload their catch without damaging their boats, and 2) the creation of a

native oyster habitat off Knab Rock using the rocks removed from the slipway.

The project is working alongside the Mumbles Coastal Protection Project who have widened their scope to incorporate some of the removal of rocks for this project.

3.3

Ice Machines at SA1 – The Swansea Commercial Fishermen are wishing to purchase two new ice machines with storage to accompany the current one which sits on Swansea Marina, alongside the fishermen. The current storage facility only holds up to 1 tonne of ice and the increase in the number of commercial fishermen since the purchase of the first machine has resulted in an increased demand for ice to enable the fishermen to store their fish.