Impacts, challenges, and adaptation of small-scale fishers during the COVID-19 pandemic in selected tropical countries

The rapid spread of the global COVID-19 pandemic had severe impacts on social and economic conditions around the world. This study was designed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the small-scale fisheries sector in Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania. All respondents were drawn randomly from fisheries stakeholders including fishers, fish traders, fisheries officials, and government and non-governmental organizations ( N = 580). The findings showed that border lockdown was a major problem experienced by all the small-scale fishers, with negative impacts on cross-border fish trade and cash flow. Implementation of restricted movements in Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka resulted in complete shutdown of fisheries, while stay-at-home orders prevented travel to and within fishing areas. The Republic of Tanzania did not implement lockdowns. Some of the fishers from Bangladesh experienced significant apprehension whenever they went out fishing. COVID-19 negatively affected the fishers’ families, causing them untold suffering during the lockdowns. Fishers’ families experienced inadequate food, and their children struggled to keep up with their online classes. In Tanzania, women were not able to sell their fish and mostly stayed at home. In Indonesia and in the Philippines, family members who worked in urban areas returned to their villages to avoid the threat of the virus. Our study revealed that the pandemic resulted in fishing restrictions, reduction in fish prices, logistical problems for transport and marketing, general lack of mobility for people, food inadequacy, and poor education of the fishers’ children.