Welsh coastal projects awarded £540,000 to restore seas and support fishing communities

Nation.Cymru staff

Seven projects across Wales have secured more than £540,000 in Welsh Government funding to restore marine habitats, improve harbour infrastructure and strengthen coastal communities after beating competition from six other bids.

The £540,761 funding package will support projects in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Flintshire, Gwynedd and Ynys Môn, ranging from oyster restoration and marine monitoring to harbour improvements and sustainable seafood initiatives.

The latest round of the Coastal Capacity Building Fund attracted 13 applications seeking more than £1 million in funding, with just seven projects selected.

The scheme, delivered by the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) on behalf of the Welsh Government since 2023, is designed to improve the resilience of Wales’ coastal communities, fisheries and marine environment.

Among the successful projects is the creation of a purpose-built native oyster spatting pond in Laugharne, which will produce juvenile oysters to support reef restoration and sustainable aquaculture across Wales.

A community-led marine monitoring and coastal resilience hub will also be established in Cardigan Bay, combining offshore monitoring, citizen science and public engagement.

In north Wales, funding will support the development of the Conwy Seafood Trail to promote sustainable seafood, strengthen local supply chains and encourage marine tourism.

Flintshire’s Connah’s Quay Community Dock Development Project will install new commercial mooring rings, interpretation boards, benches and improved safety infrastructure.

Two projects have been awarded funding on Ynys Môn. One will establish the Menai Strait Coastal Futures Programme, a community-led marine observatory aimed at improving fisheries resilience through blue carbon science and circular economy initiatives.

The second will fund improvements at Amlwch Port, including new electrical pedestals, a marina distribution system, steel grating covers and a telescopic dock crane.

In Gwynedd, the Clust i’r Môr project will expand marine mammal monitoring through community engagement and acoustic monitoring in high-energy coastal environments.

‘Custodians’

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Resilience and Sustainability Llyr Gruffydd said the projects would help protect Wales’ marine environment while supporting local economies.

He said: “Wales’ coastal communities are the custodians of our richest marine environments, and this funding backs their work to protect and sustain them for future generations.

“From restoring native oysters in Laugharne to monitoring marine mammals off the Gwynedd coast, these projects show what local knowledge and community action can achieve.

“We’re investing in clean seas, strong aquaculture and fisheries supply chains and resilient coastal economies because Wales’s coastline is one of our greatest assets.”

The latest awards follow funding announced last year, with six projects supported in 2025 now entering the second and final year of delivery with a combined value of £259,521 during the current financial year.