Activities funded by Axis 4 played a crucial role in levering in larger investment from Axis 2 of the EFF and local municipal funds for the development of a €2.7 million fish handling centre in Kuusamo. This is a new concept in Finland; combining the needs of both fishermen and the processing industry under the same roof. The idea is to add value to locally caught fish by putting in place the infrastructure to freeze (and therefore store) as well as process it. This helps fishermen break the current seasonality of their work (in the spring and autumn, when the ice on the lakes is weak, it’s impossible to go fishing) and means processors can scale up their production volumes to meet local demand and make use of local supply from winter and summer fishing. The Kainuu-Koillismaa FLAG financed the preliminary surveys and the feasibility study and, based on the positive results, supported cooperation among local  stakeholders (fishermen,  fish farmers, fish processors and the local municipality), which eventually led to a joint venture for the larger project. It also advised the municipality in applying for funding from the EFF Axis 2 strand.