In the past 12 months, Redruth based Falmouth Fishselling Co. Ltd. (Falfish), has secured Objective One Fisheries Grants for five projects, bringing their total number of Objective One funded projects to fourteen, and total European and national grant investment to £637,000.

The recent grants have been awarded for new office software, a new chill store and fish processing area, a blast freezer, hygienic cladding and the purchase of insulated bins.

The new office software will enable Falfish to employ new technologies for full traceability and operational efficiency; the new chill store is essential as it maximizes storage capacity and houses a new processing area which will allow for preparation of new products; the addition of a blast freezer allows for rapid freezing of the fish product to retain its high quality; the installation of hygienic cladding in the Goods-In area brings it in line with the high standards of the rest of the factory; the insulated bins will be used to transport the increased tonnages of fish such as cuttlefish, sardines and scallops at low temperatures, therefore improving quality and shelf-life.

These grants have enabled the company's continued expansion by constantly improving its capabilities to meet its customer's requirements.

Mark Greet, managing director of Falfish, said: "Falfish has gone from strength to strength over the past 12 months. Support from the Objective One Fisheries Grants has meant we can maximise our supply of fresh, quality fish to the UK and Europe.

"As a company we are very pleased to be continuing to drive the market in the South West, which with its wealth of abundant species is one of the UK's best-managed and sustainably fished areas.

"This vital funding has allowed us to substantially grow our workforce and we continue to expand our line of products."

Clare Leverton Objective One Fisheries Manager said: "Increasing the value of fish to the Cornish economy was the core aim of the Fish Industry Task Force on entering the Objective One Fisheries Programme in 2000. The successful growth of Falfish demonstrates that the Task Force made the right decision to prioritise investment in fish processing. Falfish now adds more value to the high quality fish landed in Cornwall and the SW, it provides more jobs and continues to develop new products and new markets. Successful fish processing businesses are essential to keep up the demand for fish and to develop new products."

Cornwall's Objective One Fisheries Programme has invested a total budget of over £10 million since April 2001 to the fishing industry in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The funds are a mixture of EU and national funds, through the Financial Instruments for Fisheries Guidance fund (FIFG) and the Marine Fisheries Agency (MFA).

The projects are approved by the Marine Fisheries Agency in partnership with an Objective One Fisheries Priority Management Group, made up of local fishing sector representatives. South West Pesca Ltd helps applicants to develop projects by providing guidance and help on completing application forms and submitting applications.

So far 286 projects have been approved through this process with £10,084,953 of funds committed to these projects. Up to 40% (35% EU and 5% National) grants are available for the private sector projects and 75% grants for the public sector projects.