mittetulundusühing Saarte Kalandus

What mittetulundusühing Saarte Kalandus does

Mittetulundusühing Saarte Kalandus (MTÜ Saarte Kalandus) is an Estonian non-profit voluntary association operating in the public interest, founded in 2008 and headquartered at Tallinna 30, Kuressaare, Saaremaa. Its core function is to serve as the official Local Action Group (LAG) for the Saare County fisheries area, administering European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMKVF) project support on behalf of the EU Common Fisheries Policy. The organization processes and evaluates applications submitted via the e-PRIA electronic system, working in tandem with PRIA (the Estonian Agricultural Registers and Information Board) which acts as the national paying agency.

The organization's service portfolio spans six core areas: EMKVF project support administration, training activities (koolitused), cross-regional cooperation activities and study trips, multi-period strategy management (EKF 2008-2013, EMKF 2014-2020+, EMKVF 2021-2027), fisheries port infrastructure development, and maritime cultural heritage promotion (including events such as Saaremaa Kalurite Päev and Avatud Kalasadamate Päev). Beneficiaries include Saaremaa coastal fishermen (rannakalurid), small family fisheries enterprises seeking economic diversification, and fisheries community organizations. Cumulative EU funding administered for the 2014-2020+ strategy period totals €4,101,930.14 plus €438,424.57 for cooperation activities, with €1,162,515.76 allocated to the 2026 application rounds across six activity directions.

The business model is that of a public-interest grant administrator rather than a commercial enterprise. The organization does not charge customers for services; rather, it disburses EU funds to beneficiaries under publicly administered grant programs. Its operating geography is restricted to Saaremaa island in Estonia, and it maintains strategic partnerships with peer fisheries LAGs domestically (MTÜ Võrtsjärve Kalanduspiirkond, Peipsi Kalanduspiirkond) and conducts international study trips to fisheries regions in Iceland, France, Portugal, Sardinia, and Sicily. The organization operates with a small staff (publicly identified contacts include a Tegevjuht/Executive Director and a Referent/Office Clerk) and follows a regular cadence of board meetings, general meetings, evaluation committee meetings, and regional information days.

Name

mittetulundusühing Saarte Kalandus

Legal name

mittetulundusühing Saarte Kalandus

Website

https://saartekalandus.ee

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Short description

MTÜ Saarte Kalandus is an Estonian non-profit association serving as the designated Local Action Group for the Saaremaa fisheries area, administering EU EMKVF project support, training, cooperation activities, and port infrastructure development for coastal fishermen, small fisheries enterprises, and community organizations in Saare County, Estonia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fisheries Development Grant Administration

NAICS

Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry (115), Animal Production and Aquaculture (112)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

Keywords

• Fisheries fund administration
• Coastal community development
• Non-profit association
• Grant administration services
• Fisheries training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kuressaare

HQ country

Estonia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

mittetulundusühing Saarte Kalandus administers European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMKVF) project support programs for the Saaremaa fisheries region, including application evaluation, ranking, and fund disbursement. The organization also provides training sessions for fishermen, facilitates cross-regional cooperation activities and study trips, supports port infrastructure development, and promotes fisheries and maritime cultural heritage in the Saaremaa coastal region.

Product overview

mittetulundusühing Saarte Kalandus is a non-profit voluntary association operating in the public interest to develop fisheries and related activities and ensure the viability of coastal communities on Saaremaa island. The organization does not offer commercial software products; rather, it provides a suite of services focused on administering EU fisheries funding programs (EMKVF), organizing training for fishermen, facilitating cooperation activities and study trips, managing development strategies across funding periods, supporting fisheries port infrastructure, and promoting maritime cultural heritage. The main offerings are project administration services, educational programs, and community development activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EMKVF Project Support Administration Administration of European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMKVF) project support programs, including application processing, evaluation, ranking, and fund disbursement for the Saaremaa fisheries region. Applications are submitted through the e-PRIA electronic self-service system and evaluated by the organization's board and assessment committee.
• Training Activities (Koolitused) Educational programs and training sessions for fishermen and fisheries stakeholders to enhance knowledge and skills in sustainable fishing practices, fish processing, and related technologies.
• Cooperation Activities and Study Trips (Koostöötegevused) Cross-regional collaboration projects and study trips to other fisheries regions for knowledge exchange, including organized visits to Iceland (2019), France (2021), Portugal (2018), Sardinia (2023), Sicily (2018), and Lake Peipsi (2017).
• Fisheries Port Infrastructure Development Support Support for modernization and improvement of fishing port infrastructure and diversification of port services in the Saaremaa region, funded through the EMKVF "Sadamate taristu parendamine ja pakutavate teenuste mitmekesistamine" direction (€251,432.78 in the 2026 II round).
• Fisheries and Maritime Cultural Heritage Promotion Activities promoting the cultural heritage of fisheries and maritime traditions in the Saaremaa coastal region, including community events such as Saaremaa Fishermen's Day and Open Fish Harbor Days (Avatud Kalasadamate Päev), funded through the EMKVF "Kalanduse- ja merenduse kultuuripärandi edendamine kalanduspiirkonnas" direction (€448,113.76 in the 2026 II round).

Quantifiable outcome

• €4.1 million EU funding administered for Saare County fisheries development 2014-2020
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Euroopa Merendus-, Kalandus- ja Vesiviljelusfond (EMKVF) / European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture FundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021The organization cooperates with EMKVF, through which support funds are distributed for the implementation of the EU Common Fisheries Policy. MTÜ Saarte Kalandus serves as the local action group (LAG) for the Saaremaa fisheries area, administering funding rounds and evaluating project applications.
• MTÜ Võrtsjärve KalanduspiirkondminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Cooperation project between MTÜ Võrtsjärve Kalanduspiirkond and MTÜ Saarte Kalandus for a study trip to Portuguese fisheries areas. The project aimed to share knowledge about product and service development in fisheries and cooperation networks between entrepreneurs, municipalities, and organizations.
• Peipsi KalanduspiirkondminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Cooperation project for mutual study trips between Saaremaa and Peipsi fisheries areas. Aimed at developing mutual knowledge sharing to ensure sustainable fisheries activities and improve training effectiveness for fisheries professionals.
• Põllumajanduse Registrite ja Informatsiooni Amet (PRIA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014PRIA (Agricultural Registers and Information Board) is the Estonian paying agency for EU agricultural and fisheries support. The organization submits evaluated project applications to PRIA for final approval and administers funds through the e-PRIA system.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• MTÜ Peipsi Kalanduspiirkond: Estonian fisheries LAG covering Lake Peipsi region; directly comparable mandate (administrating EMKVF project support, training, cooperation activities) and has formal cooperation projects with Saarte Kalandus.
• MTÜ Võrtsjärve Kalanduspiirkond: Estonian fisheries Local Action Group covering Lake Võrtsjärve; sibling LAG to Saarte Kalandus under the same Estonian EMKVF framework, has executed joint study trips with Saarte Kalandus.
• MTÜ Hiiumaa Kalanduspiirkond: Estonian fisheries LAG covering Hiiumaa island; operates under identical legal/administrative framework as Saarte Kalandus and serves a comparable island coastal-fisheries community.

Emerging players

• LEADER action groups in Saaremaa (e.g., Saarte Koostöökogu): Estonian LEADER local action group operating in the same Saaremaa region under the EAFRD (rural development) rather than EMKVF; parallel CLLD structure but covers broader rural rather than fisheries-specific development.

Regional players

• SWOT Fishing LAG Sweden: Swedish national network of fisheries LAGs; equivalent CLLD-based fisheries development bodies operating under EU EMKVF/EMAF with similar mandate of distributing funds to coastal fishing communities.
• Finnish Fisheries Local Action Groups (EMKVF FLAGs): Finland's national network of fisheries LAGs under EMKVF; structurally and functionally identical to Saarte Kalandus, administering EU fisheries funds for coastal Finnish regions.
• Latvian Fisheries LAGs (VRG): Latvian fisheries Local Action Groups under EMKVF; share the same Baltic Sea fisheries policy context and CLLD methodology as Saarte Kalandus.
• Lithuanian FLAGs (VJ Žuvininkystės regionų vietos veiklos grupės): Network of Lithuanian fisheries LAGs operating under EMKVF with comparable functions (project selection, training, cooperation) in the Baltic coastal fisheries context.

Broad incumbents

• FARNET (EU Fisheries Areas Network): European Commission's support unit for all EU FLAGs including Saarte Kalandus; the umbrella networking and capacity-building body under which Saarte Kalandus's CLLD work sits.

Others

• Oceana EU: Major international marine conservation NGO; adjacent rather than directly comparable, but both operate in the marine/fisheries sustainability domain in Europe and engage with EU fisheries policy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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