Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Fisheries Sector and Actions Taken to Cope with the Situation: A Case Study from a Top Fish-Producing Country

Md Shamsuddin, Mohammad Belal Hossain (), Moshiur Rahman (), Md. Farhan Tazim, Md. Romjan Ali, Mst Salamun Kawla, Tajmahal Begum, Mohammed Fahad Albeshr and Takaomi Arai
Additional contact information
Md Shamsuddin: Department of Fisheries (DoF), Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh
Mohammad Belal Hossain: Department of Fisheries and Marine Science, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
Moshiur Rahman: Department of Fisheries (DoF), Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh
Md. Farhan Tazim: Department of Fisheries (DoF), Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh
Md. Romjan Ali: Department of Fisheries (DoF), Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh
Mst Salamun Kawla: Independent Researcher, 7/11 Albert St., Cranbrook, Townsville, QLD 4814, Australia
Tajmahal Begum: Department of Fisheries (DoF), Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh
Mohammed Fahad Albeshr: Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Takaomi Arai: Environmental and Life Sciences Programme, Faculty of Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong 1410 BE, Brunei

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-17

Abstract: Bangladesh, one of the top fish producers in the world, has rapidly been expanding its annual fish production. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and related preventative measures have had a substantial impact on the nation’s fishing sector. In this study, a survey was performed in the Brahmanbaria subdistrict of Bangladesh to assess the impact of COVID-19 and the subsequent efforts made by the Department of Fisheries (DoF), Bangladesh, to mitigate the negative impact on the culture and capture fisheries. The socioeconomic profile of fishery stakeholders for the years 2019, 2020, and 2021 was used to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic situation on fish farming, fish hatcheries, fish nurseries, the fish feed industry, and the dry fish industry. Data analysis showed that the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the income of fishery stakeholders and their livelihoods. The income of fish farmers decreased by 47.49% in 2020 as compared to the base year of 2019 but increased by 129.34% in 2021, showing the effects of COVID-19 and mitigation efforts. Transport and movement restrictions adversely affected the culture fisheries while favouring capture fisheries with an increased annual catch. To counter or reduce most of those issues, the DoF, Bangladesh, took necessary steps, such as constructing a virtual control room and engaging the fishermen in some unique activities. Fishermen and other stakeholders benefitted because of farm visits, online training, improved interdepartmental coordination, monitoring of fish-selling marketing channels, activation of the FIAC (Farmer’s Information and Advice Centre), and women’s engagement through the provision of subsidies and loans. The DoF constructed fish sanctuaries and implemented law enforcement in 2020 and 2021 to safeguard the habitat for small indigenous species (SIS). These actions might have improved the stakeholders’ income and the post-pandemic scenario by increasing fish productivity. However, further study is recommended on the effective mitigation measures for drawing a clear conclusion.

Keywords: COVID-19; impacts; fishermen; fish farmer; biodiversity; fish production (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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