Small-scale fisheries are vulnerable to the persistent threats they face such as the impacts of climate change, overfishing and lack of representation in policy discussions and decision-making processes. Over the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a new range of challenges and risks for the communities that depend on fisheries — from regulations limiting fishing activity to supply chain disruptions putting the health and livelihoods of fishers and their families at risk. Small-scale fishers have had to adapt and implement a set of innovative solutions, such as new sanitation or marketing measures, to be able to fish and sell their catch.
This month, the SSF Hub is featuring key resources and hosting a special web-based event that highlights the impacts of COVID on small-scale fisheries. This event will provide a virtual space for fishers, fish workers and community members to come together to share their experiences and advice.
SSF Hub Resources
We’ve curated a list of COVID-19 related resources that are currently available in the Resource Library. We hope that these resources can provide more insight into the impacts of the pandemic on small-scale fisheries around the world.
A gathering of updates and resources that provide a focal point for our partners in the conservation community and small-scale fisheries sectors to find reliable and useful information while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.
WorldFish and partners are identifying vulnerabilities within aquatic food systems and opportunities for governments, international bodies, industries, small-scale actors, and civil society to respond, adapt, and build resilience. This page is updated regularly with links to blogs, publications, policy briefs, events, and other resources featuring WorldFish analysis on COVID-19, including specific regional and country impacts.
To contribute to national and global efforts, Comunidad y Biodiversidad (COBI), initiated a process of consultation with fishermen in eight states of Mexico to learn about the economic and social impacts of the pandemic. This first report reflects the immediate economic and social impacts of COVID-19 and concludes with a series of recommendations expressed by the fishing sector.
In this eighth and last report, Comunidad y Biodiversidad (COBI), focused on understanding what has changed in the lives of fishers as a result of the pandemic, what has been learned during the past months, and how to safely return to fishing activities in the context of the new normal.
The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) has been tracking the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on fisheries through daily news alerts. In addition, ICSF has gathered information on specific issues at national, regional and international levels, on three parameters – impact, relief and recovery.
Some fishermen and fishing businesses are able to cope or adapt for the short-term, others need immediate assistance, none are prepared for what might be a long-term decline in seafood value. Maine Coast Fishermen's Association (MCFA) has curated a list of resources to keep fishermen healthy and financially secure.
Social FISHtancing chronicles the impacts of COVID-19 on coastal fisheries and fishing communities around the world. The podcast is a production of Coastal Routes, a network of researchers, coastal communities, and non-profit organizations all united by our mission of supporting verdant, sustainable, and just coastal livelihoods and places.
Shot during the peak of the first wave of Covid-19 in India, this documentary tells the story of how the fishermen and women of Kollam coped with the lockdown and the widespread disruptions in their fisheries. Responding to the crisis, the local fisheries cooperative introduced a major change to the prevalent auction system. The innovation was aimed at both ensuring the safety of the coastal fishing community, and correcting the power imbalance between fishers and traders. But the new system had some unforeseen consequences.
This eight-part video series provides a firsthand account of the battles faced by fishers and fish workers in Mexico, Chile, Peru, Cuba, Indonesia and the United States, as they are faced with declining fish populations, increasingly common extreme weather events and disruptions due to climate change, COVID-19 and other stressors.
This publication brings to the frontline issues that beg for attention in the fisheries sector with chapter one of this publication, titled COVID-19 and Fisheries, highlighting how the pandemic has affected the fisheries subsector.
The full range of activities required to deliver fish and fish products from production to the final consumer is subject to indirect impacts of the pandemic which in turn has a damaging effect on fishers and fish farmers’ livelihoods, as well as on food security and nutrition for populations that rely heavily on fish for animal protein and essential micronutrients. This policy brief reviews ongoing challenges and proposes measures to protect production and income of the sector and the most vulnerable.
SSF Hub Presents: Fisher Voices on COVID-19
This month, the SSF Hub will organize a special web-based event — Fisher Voices on COVID-19 — that will provide a space for small-scale fishers and fish workers around the world to share their stories about the challenges they encountered and how they have overcome them as well as advice for others that may still be grappling with the hardships brought on by COVID.
Visit the Fisher Voices on COVID-19 page on the SSF Hub to enroll and stay updated on event details such as dates, times and speakers.