Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has today announced the allocation of €50,000 to the Midlands Fisheries Fund (MFF), a funding scheme set up to support sustainable fishery development projects in the Midland Fisheries Group area.

The scheme was created in 2013 and is funded through angler contributions set-aside from the permit income received by IFI in the Midland Fisheries Group permit area. For 2016, the Board of IFI has allocated an additional €10,000 to the Fund which will be available to individuals and businesses for product development and to market and promote angling in the Midland Fisheries Group permit area.

Applications are now invited to support projects which seek to increase angler accessibility to fisheries, develop and install new fishing stands, tackle terrestrial invasive species, and to provide funding to the additional categories of product development and the marketing and promotion of angling activities in the Midlands.

Dr Ciaran Byrne, CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland, said: “The National Strategy for Angling Development has identified a number of action measures which require prioritisation. These include stakeholder engagement, sustainable development of the angling resource, marketing and promotion, and the facilitation of increased access for angling to all.

“The Midlands Fisheries Fund will allow for projects to be developed and undertaken by anglers and communities which improve their inland fisheries resource. Essentially, the money for the scheme is raised locally through the sale of fishing permits and is then injected back into the catchments, increasing revenues to communities and creating jobs. In this way, funds raised in the locality stay in the locality.”

The closing date for applications is 20th May 2016. Full details of the Midland Fisheries Fund and the application form can be obtained on the Inland Fisheries Ireland website here