During the entire duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, social protection measures should be strengthened and access of fishers, fishworkers and their families to health infrastructure and health care improved, according to a presentation by the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) at the Virtual Dialogues on the Road to the 34th Committee on Fisheries during 13-17 July 2020, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The presentation, titled Impact of COVID-19 on Fisheries and Aquaculture Effects, Good Practices and Recommendations: Small-Scale Artisanal Fisheries Perspective, was made by Sebastian Mathew, Executive Director, ICSF.
Pointing out that livelihood opportunities for small-scale artisanal fishers and fishworkers have diminished due to the pandemic, the presentation urged that COVID?19-related social protection measures should be inclusive of the self?employed, informal and migrant fishers and fishworkers, consistent with the Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines (SSF Guidelines).
Many countries have declared fish as essential food, and fishers and fish processors as essential workers. Some have adopted noteworthy good practices. Chile, for example, has granted exemptions to artisanal fishers from curfew, while the United Kingdom (UK), the European Union (EU) and Canada have initiated social protection and economic support programmes for fishers and fishworkers.
Scotland has introduced hardship funding for marine fishing vessels 12?m or below in length. The EU has announced support for the temporary cessation of fishing activities and storage of fish of producer organizations.
The south Indian state of Kerala is permitting small?scale fishing fleets compatible with pandemic prevention measures to undertake commercial fishing operations; and prior fixing of prices of catch and facilitating fish sales through co-operatives with preferential access to women fish vendors.
Brazil is collecting and disseminating epidemiological information and providing emotional support to fishing communities, while Peru has published a Control Guide to avoid the spread of COVID?19 on artisanal fishing boats. In the UK, the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organizations (NFFO) is providing guidance for COVID-19 risk assessment on fishing vessels.
Urging for the strengthening of social protection measures during the entire duration of the COVID?19 pandemic, the ICSF presentation called on FAO to recommend national governments to crea t e a COVID-19 social protection fund, equivalent to one per cent of the landed/farm?gate value of fish production. It also suggested that FAO, in collaboration with the World Bank/IFAD, could create a special social protection fund to support small?scale artisanal fishers and fishworkers in low-income, food-deficit countries.
The institutions of fishers and fishworkers (trade unions, co-operatives, associations, etc.) must be strengthened towards improving the effectiveness of economic and social protection measures during the pandemic. Joint mechanisms of fisheries and health departments must be promoted to adopt pandemic control measures, maintaining a judicious balance between COVID-19 control measures and human rights.
The presentation also called for the tripartite collaboration of FAO, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to jointly develop protocols and standards for emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases and persistent pandemics in the context of fisheries and agriculture.
For more information, please visit: https://covid.demo2.icsf.net/
2020 ICSF