How COVID-19 pandemic affected fisheries (catch volume and price): A case study in Europe

Portugal, with the highest per capita fish consumption and expenditure in the European Union, provides an excellent case study for examining the effects of COVID-19 containment measures on fishing activity. The present study focused exclusively on data obtained from mainland Portugal, covering the years 2015-2021. The analysis included different time periods: namely, pre-lockdown, during lockdown, and post-lockdown. The primary objective was to investigate and gain insights into the potential effects of lockdown measures on the quantity (catch volume) and price ($/Kg) of different fish species groups. During the lockdown, professional fishermen experienced lower quantities, compared to the average of previous years (2015-2019), in some months (March, April and May), of tuna (-44%: from 85 ton to 47 ton), small pelagic fish (-41.8%: from 4510 ton to 2627 ton), crustaceans (-31.9%: from 94 ton to 64 ton), and bivalves (-33.5%: from 412 ton to 274) being landed. Although prices fluctuated, only crustaceans showed a significant decrease in value (-34.8%: from 14.85$/Kg to 9.68 $/Kg). Groundfish, flatfish, cephalopods, and other marine fish groups did not experience any significant impacts on landing quantities. Although there was some recovery in catch volume and market prices in the post closure period, indicating a certain level of resilience in the sector, the socio-economic context indirectly exacerbated the profitability challenges faced by the fishing industry due to COVID-19. Given the potential for future socio-economic crises, policymakers (e.g., country government) and stakeholders (e.g., Fishers' associations, HORECA) should prepare comprehensive and easily implementable measures to strengthen the sector and minimize potential disruptions.