Resources

Global Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Seafood Industry

For nearly two years, local, regional, and global fisheries and seafood supply chains have been forced to adjust and adapt to the unprecedented conditions brought on by the COVID-19 global pandemic.

This study seeks to synthesize the complex conditions and outcomes to date, and provide an overview of the current landscape of change. Within that landscape we explore which trends or pa terns emerged simply as stop gaps in a moment of crisis, and which shifts are likely to last in the long-term.

Inclusive social development and decent work for enhancing small-scale fisheries resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic

This document is part of a series of briefs framed under the provisions of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines). The briefs aim to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the livelihoods and sustainable development of the small-scale fisheries sector and provide examples of coping strategies.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a queen conch (Aliger gigas) fishery in The Bahamas

The onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in early 2020 led to a dramatic rise in unemployment and fears about food-security throughout the Caribbean region. Subsistence fisheries were one of the few activities permitted during emergency lockdown in The Bahamas, leading many to turn to the sea for food. This study highlights the role of small-scale fisheries as a ‘natural insurance’ against socio-economic shocks and a source of resilience for small island communities at times of crisis. It also underscores the risks to food security and long-term sustainability of fishery stocks posed by overexploitation of natural resources.

What are food systems?

This pamphlet provides an overview of food systems. Food systems are at the heart of some of the most significant challenges we face today, including diet-driven ill health and environmental damage. A third of the world is hungry or malnourished, more than half of global ill health is determined by poor diets, and food systems account for a quarter of CO2 emissions.

COVID-19 impacts and adaptations in Asia and Africa's aquatic food value chains

We tracked the impacts of COVID-19 on aquatic food value chains in Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Myanmar and Nigeria during 2020. We assessed the availability and price of aquatic foods and production inputs using a high frequency panel survey of 767 actors from eight value chain nodes. We also conducted semi-structured phone interviews with 63 respondents in Bangladesh and online interviews with 100 aquatic food value chain actors and key informants from 17 sub-Saharan African countries. This information provides insights into the pathways by which the crisis has affected aquatic food value chain actors, the scale of those impacts and how they have adapted. These findings give rise to policy recommendations aimed at mitigating impacts in the present, assisting recovery and building a more resilient aquatic food system in the future.

Good post-harvest practices for fresh fish trading: Facilitators guide

This training material is a facilitator guide for peer to peer learning on better management practices for post-harvest handling and trading of fresh fish.

Kokoly

Against a backdrop of extreme poverty, personal loss and a marine environment changing beyond her control, Kokoly lives on a knife edge. Filmed over four months, Kokoly follows a traditional Vezo fisherwoman Madame Kokoly - as she reflects on her live experiences and carries out her daily routine in and around the coastal waters of southwest Madagascar.

Resiliencia de las comunidades pesqueras de México ante COVID-19 Impactos económicos y sociales

Para contribuir a los esfuerzos nacionales y globales, Comunidad y Biodiversidad, A. C. (COBI) ha iniciado un proceso de consulta con pescadores en ocho entidades federativas de México para conocer los impactos económicos y sociales de la pandemia. Así como, los roles del estado y la distribución de apoyos, los efectos en la salud, las soluciones locales aplicadas por los pescadores, la igualdad de género, el uso de tecnología y el impacto ambiental. Este primer reporte refleja los impactos económicos y sociales inmediatos del COVID-19 y concluye con una serie de recomendaciones expresadas por el sector pesquero.

How is COVID-19 affecting the fisheries and aquaculture food sytems

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 through new sanitary measures, changing consumer demands, market access or logistical problems related to transportation and border restrictions. This 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 on going challenges and proposes measures to protect production and income of the sector and the most vulnerable, as well as maintain operations and support the supply chain.

The Silent Wave - A fisheries cooperative in India responds to Covid-19

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.

Principios para la Nueva Normalidad en la pesca de pequeña escala

En este octavo y último reporte, Comunidad y Biodiversidad, A.C. (COBI) se enfocó en entender qué ha cambiado en las vidas de los pescadoras y pescadores a raíz de la pandemia, qué se ha aprendido en estos meses y cómo regresar a pescar con seguridad en el contexto de la nueva normalidad.

Guide to improved dried shrimp production

This guide is for dried-shrimp producers, buyers and those involved in extension services. The aim is to describe good processing, handling and hygiene practices that will help producers maximize the value and income from dried shrimp, meet required national standards and access new and high-value markets.

Women in Small-scale Fisheries in Tanzania: Challenges and Opportunities

This video case study explores the challenges that women involved in fisheries activities face on a day to day basis in Tanzania: What successes have they achieved? how can their participation in fisheries be strategically improved? It also explains the strategies in place at local and national levels to counter and improve the situation.

Fish handling, quality and processing: training and community trainers manual

This manual has been produced to help introduce better practices that can help people make more from the fish they catch, process and sell, as well as help them reduce post-harvest losses.

ICSF's Summary of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication

The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) were adopted by member countries of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and were officially approved as an international instrument in June 2014. Tis document is only a summation of the contents of the Guidelines.

Marine tenure and small-scale fisheries - A priority for development programming

The following information brief provides an overview on the topic of marine tenure in securing sustainable small-scale fisheries and its role in meeting global development objectives.

Social protection in small-scale fisheries and aquaculture in Latin America and the Caribbean

Taking into account the economic importance of this sector for small-scale producers, as well as its high degree of vulnerability, the aim of this report is to give an overview of the current state of social protection and challenges facing small-scale fishers and fish farmers in Latin America and the Caribbean. It analyses the social protection needs of this population segment, the main social protection programs in the region, and proposes a roadmap with public policy recommendations to promote adequate social protection.

Social protection for small-scale fisheries in the Mediterranean region

This review includes the findings of a desk study, complemented by consultation and validation missions, on social protection systems in place and available to small-scale fishers in Mediterranean riparian states, and it outlines the specific cases of five Mediterranean countries (Albania, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia), setting out best practices and sharing recommendations.

The role of aquatic foods in sustainable healthy diets

This discussion paper aims to build consensus on the role of aquatic foods in sustainable healthy diets, presenting the breadth of evidence available to inform and steer policy, investments and research to make full use of the vast potential of aquatic foods in delivering sustainable healthy diets and meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Social FISHtancing Podcast - Coastal Routes Radio Vol. 1

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.

Dead fish is not manna

This publication brings to the frontline, issues that beg for attention in the fisheries sector.

Chapter one of this publication, titled COVID-19 and Fisheries, highlights how the pandemic has affected the fisheries subsector.

Chapter two, titled Dead Fish is not Manna, captures the peculiarities and challenges of fisheries in Nigeria noting the contaminated state of some of the fishes sold in the country's markets.