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Review
. 2024;3(1):61.
doi: 10.1038/s44183-024-00100-7. Epub 2024 Dec 19.

COVID-19 highlights the need to improve resilience and equity in managing small-scale fisheries

Sangeeta Mangubhai  1 , Carolina Olguín-Jacobson  2 , Anthony Charles  3 , Joshua Cinner  4 , Asha de Vos  5 , Rachel T Graham  6 , Gaku Ishimura  7 , Katherine E Mills  8 , Josheena Naggea  9   10 , Daniel K Okamoto  11 , Jennifer K O'Leary  12 , Anne K Salomon  13 , U Rashid Sumaila  14 , Alan White  15 , Fiorenza Micheli  2   9
Affiliations
Review

COVID-19 highlights the need to improve resilience and equity in managing small-scale fisheries

Sangeeta Mangubhai et al. NPJ Ocean Sustain. 2024.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of global and domestic seafood markets. We examined the main impacts and responses of the small-scale fisheries (SSF) sector, and found that mitigation and preparedness strategies should be prioritised to boost resilience in SSF. We provide five policy options and considerations: (1) improving access to insurance and financial services; (2) strengthening local and regional markets and supporting infrastructure; (3) recognising fisheries as an essential service; (4) integrating disaster risk management into fisheries management systems; and (5) investing in Indigenous and locally-led fisheries management. Response and recovery measures need to explicitly build strategies to maintain or boost inclusion and equity in SSF.

Keywords: Environmental sciences; Environmental studies.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interestsU.R.S. is an Editor-in-Chief and A.d.V. an Editorial Board Member of nPj Sustainability but were blinded from the peer-review process for this paper. The authors declare no other conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. The impacts of COVID-19 on small-scale fisheries and the responses and recovery efforts of fisheries actors and governments.
Five policy recommendations on mitigation and preparedness to boost the resilience of the small-scale fisheries sector.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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