COVID-19's effects and adaptation strategies in fisheries and aquaculture sector: An empirical evidence from Bangladesh

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the aquaculture and fisheries sector all around the world, with the impact being exacerbated in developing countries. This study is an endeavor to identify consequences of the COVID-19 on fisheries and aquaculture sectors based on primary data collected from Bangladesh as an empirical case study. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews with different supply chain actors while analyzed using descriptive statistics and a problem confrontation index. As results depicted, income and employment across fish farmers, fishers, and traders were severely hurt, with a drastic fall in the market demand, coupled with a severe drop in their fish consumption. As market demand declined, fish farmers must be stocked mature fish for an extra period, and feed costs raised, eventually increasing the overall production cost. Besides, inaccessibility to inputs also made fish production and catch more troublesome. The price of all the major cultured and captured species plunged, leading to a depressing return to farmers, while inputs price underwent a significant increase except for labor and fingerling. However, traders seemed to be the worst sufferers amid striking disruption in fish value chain, which ostracized the preponderance of the traders from the chain. Some of the prime obstacles that constrained the production and trading process were but not limited to higher transportation costs, labor shortage, inability to pay for the wage, and reduced consumer demand across fish farmers, fishers, and traders. Nevertheless, our article further identified a myriad of strategies that the fish farmers, fishers, and traders followed to heal the scar of the fisheries and aquaculture sector with hands-on actions.

Keywords: Adaptation strategies; Bangladesh; COVID-19; Fisheries and aquaculture; Supply chain.

Fig. 1

Map showing the study areas.

Fig. 2

Percentage of respondents having adequate access to different farm inputs during COVID-19.

Fig. 3

Changes in inputs price during COVID-19. Note: Positive value indicates the higher price, while negative value denotes lower price during COVID-19.

Fig. 4

Disruption of fish supply chain due to COVID-19.

Fig. 5

COVID-19 disruptions and impacts on aquaculture and fisheries value chain activities. Note: This graph is based on a variety of data streams acquired through a survey, although it is not meant to represent a quantitative analysis. In the center of the figure are key outcomes: production, well-being, and food security.

Fig. 6

Strategies followed by the fish farmers and fishers to combat COVID-19. Note: Responses are mutually exclusive.

Fig. 7

Strategies followed by the fish traders to handle the disruption of market forces. Note: Responses are mutually exclusive.