Impacts of COVID-19-induced lockdown and key reforms in the Indian fisheries sector-a stakeholders' perspective.

The COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown has indisputably affected the aquaculture industry across the globe. India imposed a nationwide lockdown to contain the outbreak of COVID-19 that disrupted normalcy and economic activities. The fisheries sector was also highly affected. Hence, a study was conducted from July to December 2020 to understand the stakeholders' perception of the impact of COVID-19 lockdown, wherein 517 stakeholders participated (online) in the first stage. The policy reforms suggested by the stakeholders were referred to the fisheries experts in the second stage for prioritization towards implementation. Data analysis depicted that a majority (81%) of the stakeholders were aware of COVID-19 lockdown impacts on their businesses. Due to this unprecedented lockdown, labour availability was hampered, transport facilities were fully halted and access to inputs like seed, feed, and advisory were largely affected. Importantly, all stakeholders unanimously adduced to the uncertainty over the future of the fisheries sector. Moreover, fishery experts feel that enabling policies for the promotion of awareness, appropriate training, and transparency in the implementation of schemes, credit facilities, and price regulation can have a massive positive impact. Furthermore, the study also recommends utilizing the potential of e-resources (ICTs and IoT) to digitize the business networking of fishery sector stakeholders.

On the emergence of a health-pollutant-climate nexus in the wake of a global pandemic.

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc throughout the planet within a short time frame, inducing substantial morbidity and mortality in the global population. The primary procedures commonly used to manage the pandemic can produce various environmental pollutants, primarily contaminants of emerging concern such as plastics, chemical disinfectants, and pharmaceutical waste. There is a huge influx of various environmental pollutants due to the pandemic effect. We, therefore, introduce the term "envirodemics" depicting the exacerbated surge in the amount of pandemic-induced pollutants. The general toxicity pattern of common chemical ingredients in widely used disinfectants shows negative impacts on the environment. We have identified some of the significant imprints of the pandemic on localizing the Sustainable Development Goals-environment interaction and their implications on achieving the goals in terms of environmental benefits. Climate change impacts are now widespread and have a profound effect on pollutant fluxes and distribution. The climate change signatures will impact the pandemic-induced enhanced fluxes of pollutants in the global waters, such as their transport and transformation. In this study, possible interactions and emerging pathways involving an emerging climate-health-pollutant nexus are discussed. The nexus is further elaborated by considering plastic as an example of an emerging pollutant that is produced in huge quantities as a by-product of COVID management and disaster risk reduction. Additionally, regulatory implications and future perspectives concerning the unleashed nexus are also discussed. We hope that this communication shall call for incisive investigations in the less explored realm concerning the health-pollutant-climate nexus.