Essex has netted a £65,000 grant which should help in a bid to put the county on the seafood map.

Work has been going on behind the scenes to develop an Essex for Seafood brand to promote the county as a first-class place to produce, buy and enjoy seafood.

It is part of the Colne Estuary Strategy, launched in 1999, with the aim of developing a plan which would shape the future of the estuary for those who live and work there.

Colchester Council, Tendring District Council, Essex County Council and English Nature are among the authorities with responsibilities and powers for the management of the area, and one of the many aims of the strategy is to support local business.

Born out of an idea for a seafood festival, a group of local restaurateurs, fish merchants and food producers decided they wanted to take things a step further and develop a brand which could be used in marketing and promoting the county's seafood industry.

And now the Essex Estuaries Initiative has secured a £65,000 East of England Development Agency Regeneration of Fishing Comminutes grant the funding is there to stage a high-profile conference early next year, get more people on board and market the Essex for Seafood brand.

By Lisa Cockrell

Reporter's e-mail: lisa_cockrell@thisisessex.co.uk

For more on this story see www.business-in-essex.co.uk

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