According to the Global Fishing Watch database of fishing activity based on AIS data, relative to the previous two year average (2018-2019), global fishing activity is down approximately 6.5% year-to-date (as of 04/28/2020) and nearly 10% since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11th. These figures primarily represent changes in activity for the world’s industrial fleet – fishing vessels over 24 meters – and do not fully capture the impacts on small-scale fisheries.
By mid-March, shortly after the WHO pandemic declaration, Chinese fishing activity had recovered to a level comparable with previous years before dipping again briefly. As of early April, cumulative fishing activity in China’s EEZ was down nearly 40% since the Chinese New Year, with approximately 1.2 million fewer fishing hours. Unfortunately, as Chinese fleets returned to normalcy, the impacts of COVID-19 spread to fisheries in the rest of the world. Some of the world’s largest fishing nations are now experiencing considerable reductions in year-to-date fishing activity. In Europe, one of the regions hit hardest by COVID-19, many countries are seeing sustained reductions in weekly fishing activity of 50% or more relative to recent years
Declines in fishing activity are resulting from low demand, falling prices, and seafood market closures. While traditional channels like fresh fish markets and restaurants remain closed, many fishers are resorting to direct sales, though these efforts are likely hampered in many places by stay-at-home orders.