Our results reveal the positive contribution that commercial fishingeries bring to local economies, particularly through the earnings of permit owners who spend their incomes locally.
Our research on the Galapagos Islands during COVID-19 shows a high capacity for fishers to adapt and respond to declining tourism demand, shifting roles from tourist-providers to household food suppliers.
Local Markets
Local markets provide not only revenue to fishers, but also jobs related to sales & marketing, logistics, facility-sharing, accounting & finance, agro-advisory and entrepreneurship for people living near fishing areas – which helps prevent migration elsewhere where employment opportunities may be more accessible.
Tourism represents 65% of Galapagos Islanders’ income; however, COVID-19’s lockdown severely undermined this sector and local economy by creating an endless cycle between consumption and income that eventually led to aggregate household consumption falling even further than before.
Artisanal fishers demonstrated incredible resilience. Shifting roles from solely providing tourism industry goods to becoming local household food providers, they took full advantage of solidarity food baskets provided by their local governments and donated fish directly to vulnerable households – this shift changed people’s perception of fisheries from conflict with conservation to essential to human survival.
Local Processing
Fishing communities can serve as an engine of local economic activity, often accounting for much of its value creation within their borders. Activities range from boat-building and net-making, through processing, marketing and consumption of catch, all the way to boat repairs and restoration services. Yet this artisanal economy often remains unseen or underestimated when making policy decisions that affect coastal towns and communities.
As tourists were prevented from entering the islands during COVID-19’s lockdown period, local demand for fish subsided dramatically and revenues plummeted below operational costs for many fishermen – leading them to pursue other opportunities like tourism and service jobs rather than fishing altogether.
Still, fishers remain committed to conservation. Therefore, they may provide valuable support in efforts to help local economies recover without undermining hard-won environmental gains. As evidenced by participation in cooperatives organized to provide solidarity food baskets or donating their catch, fishermen have proven to be powerful allies in promoting recovery without undermining hard-won environmental victories.
Local Value Added
Our findings demonstrate how fisheries provide local economic benefits through both local food production and processing activities. Even though only a portion of total value harvested fish harvest occurs locally, these activities still create ripple effects which help strengthen local economies.
Local values of fishing also reflect its social and cultural role. Our participant observation at Pelikan Bay dock and Puerto Ayora municipal market during phase one of COVID-19 lockdown in April/May 2020 showed local residents and visitors to the islands viewing fishermen as significant contributors to food security within their archipelagos.
Overall, ocean and recreational fishing in Newport Area produced $176 Million Income and 3,700 Jobs in 2019 alone; these figures only represent part of their economic contribution.
Local Employment
During the COVID-19 pandemic, fishers’ responses demonstrated their exceptional capacity for adaptation and resilience; however, reduced tourism revenues due to this pandemic reduced household consumption and led to a self-reinforcing negative feedback loop that threatened to depress entire economies.
As a result, local employment in the fishing sector dropped drastically and some households turned to alternative sources of income, such as catering or working on cruise vessels. This dramatically altered public perceptions about fishermen as “enemies of conservation”, showing they can help achieve government conservation goals through cooperation.
As such, policymakers must ensure small-scale fishers are included when designing new policies to maximize their benefits – this may involve providing them with access to land and sea, integrating traditional knowledge into management decisions, or encouraging tourism activities that utilize sustainable seafood – these steps will support local employment within the fishing industry while increasing economic diversity.https://www.youtube.com/embed/eNzym68Tbp4