Page 44 - FAO Aquaculture News, May 2021 - No. 63

The Fishery and Aquaculture Sectors Affected by

the COVID-19 Crisis in the Maghreb

ccording to five national reports prepared by the FAO closure of borders. This has led to an unprecedented
ASubregional Office for North Africa, the Maghreb collapse of market indicators (demand, supply, and price),
fishery and aquaculture sectors experienced a significant as well as an upheaval in the modes of production and
decline in activity in 2020 due to the COVID-19 consumption of fishery products. Nearly a quarter of
pandemic. The reports are based on a survey conducted respondents estimated the decline in their income by 20
in four Maghreb countries – Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco to 40 percent caused by lower production, while more
and Tunisia, which all experienced a drop in production than a third predicted a financial loss of between 40 and
and income in 2020. As stated by Philippe Ankers, 60 percent for 2020. Aquaculture Updates by Region
Coordinator of the FAO Subregional Office for North
Africa, “The pandemic has caused substantial disruption in Although the curfews in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia did
fisheries and aquaculture in the Maghreb, as production and not directly affect workers in the fishing and aquaculture
supply chains have been affected and demand has suffered sector, many businesses and individuals suffered from
from restrictions aimed at slowing down the transmission of a drop in local and international demand owing to the
the virus”. closures of restaurants and hotels. The report notes that,
in response to the crisis, some countries have allocated
The qualitative survey conducted between March and financial and fiscal support as well as transport services
August 2020 focused on questionnaire-style interviews, to stakeholders in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.
with more than 200 respondents involved in the fisheries Such methods were particularly active in the processing
and aquaculture sector. The participants included sector, intended to minimize sudden losses, maintain jobs
representatives of professional organizations of fishers, fish and promote post-COVID-19 recovery. In Morocco, for
farmers, staff from central and local administrations, and example, the government encouraged public investment
workers from processing units, transport and distribution. in fishery and aquaculture projects.
Almost 79 percent reported a drop in production due to
blockage of certain activities and disruption caused by the The report also showed that consumption shifted towards
pandemic. canned, frozen and processed fish at the expense of fresh
products, especially at the beginning of the pandemic.
To ensure food supply during the crisis, some of the This consumer behavior impacted fish demand and
countries in the study provided exemptions from prices, and 67 percent of the respondents even labelled
lockdown measures for vital sectors. This was the case marine products as luxury products, non-essential in a
for the aquaculture sector, as more than 65 percent of time of crisis. This may have a long-lasting impact, as
the interviewees reported fully working aquaculture farms consumers may also need time to return to pre-crisis
in their regions regardless of the strict general lockdown. levels of out-of-home consumption. Finally, the economic
Despite those exemptions, FAO found an 8 percent drop downturn caused by the pandemic and the subsequent
in fishery production and 34 percent in aquaculture for the reduction in the purchasing power of consumers could
first three quarters of 2020 compared to the same period harm demand in the medium and long term. Under these
in 2019. circumstances, the recovery in demand is likely to be slow
and difficult to predict.
Mitigation measures adopted by governments to limit the
spread of COVID-19 impacted every link in the supply The pandemic has also brought to light problems that
chain, from production to processing, transport and already existed in the sector. The people interviewed
even marketing. These sectors have been weakened by encourage the promotion of information platforms with
the limitation of fishing at sea, the closure of markets early warnings on the state of the market, as well as the
and places of sale, the interruption of transport and the sale of surplus production and unsold fish products to
hospitals, schools and other institutions. They also call for
the diversification of service providers, the encouragement
Written by: of alternative marketing measures, such as online sales,
Asma Jlassi and finally the simplification of administrative procedures.
E-mail: Asma.Jlassi@fao.org
Sofiane Mahjoub
E-mail: Sofiane.Mahjoub@undp.org
Valerio Crespi
E-mail: Valerio.Crespi@fao.org
FAO Subregional Office for North Africa, Tunis, Tunisia

FAO AQUACULTURE NEWS – Nº. 63 ■ MAY 2021 43