Physical distancing and risk of COVID-19 in small-scale fisheries: a remote sensing assessment in coastal Ghana

The novel coronavirus is predicted to have dire implications on global food systems including fisheries value chains due to restrictions imposed on human movements in many countries. In Ghana, food production, both agriculture and fisheries, is exempted from restrictions as an essential service. The enforcement of COVID-19 prevention protocols, particularly social distancing, has been widely reported in Ghana's agricultural markets whereas casual observations and media reports on fish landing sites suggest no such enforcements are in place. This study aimed to provide sound scientific evidence as a basis for informed policy direction and intervention for the artisanal fishing sector in these challenging times. We employed an unmanned aerial vehicle in assessing the risk of artisanal fishers to the pandemic using physical distancing as a proxy. From analysis of cumulative distribution function (G-function) of the nearest-neighbour distances, this study underscored crowding at all surveyed fish landing beaches, and identified potential "hotspots" for disease transmission. Aerial measurements taken at times of peak landing beach activity indicated that the highest proportion of people, representing 56%, 48%, 39% and 78% in Elmina, Winneba, Apam and Mumford respectively, were located at distances of less than one metre from their nearest neighbour. Risk of crowding was independent of the population at the landing beaches, suggesting that all categories of fish landing sites along the coast would require equal urgency and measured attention towards preventing and mitigating the spread of the disease

The Future of Gender Research In Small-Scale Fisheries: Priorities and Pathways For Advancing Gender Equity

This paper presents an agenda for the future of gender research in small-scale fisheries (SSF). Building on expert insight from scholars who gathered during the 4th World Small-Scale Fisheries Congress Africa (4WSFC) with a synthesis of existing literature, we identify six topics that warrant future investigation in SSF, along with methodological considerations for addressing them. Research priorities include identifying pathways towards (1) equitable participation in governance and decision-making, (2) valuing all actors\u27 contributions to aquatic food systems, (3) increasing access to financial services, (4) inclusive infrastructural development, (5) livelihood diversification and (6) reducing occupational health hazards. Several important methodological considerations include (i) using multiple methodologies, (ii) applying participatory methods, (iii) collecting gender-disaggregated data, (iv) integrating gender into a food systems approach in fisheries, (v) engaging an intersectional approach and (vi) operationalising equity

WTO must ban harmful fisheries subsidies

Sustainably managed wild fisheries support food and nutritional security, livelihoods, and cultures (1). Harmful fisheries subsidies—government payments that incentivize overcapacity and lead to overfishing—undermine these benefits yet are increasing globally (2). World Trade Organization (WTO) members have a unique opportunity at their ministerial meeting in November to reach an agreement that eliminates harmful subsidies (3). We—a group of scientists spanning 46 countries and 6 continents—urge the WTO to make this commitment..