Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the food safety requirements in the fish and seafood chain

Producing safe and high-quality fish and seafood products, for both domestic and export markets must be considered a priority for the entire fish and seafood chain, from fishers and producers towards consumers and food safety competent national authorities, who should update the relevant food safety legislation and ensure compliance with it. The aim of this study is to highlight the rules of hygiene and food safety that are imposed on the fisheries and seafood sector in order to prevent staff illness with Covid-19 and ensure the safety of products. Several practical recommendations are given for completion and improvement of the current preventive measures such as good hygiene practices to which is added specific protocols to safeguard the health of the employees who works in the fish and seafood production and processing sector.

Bioregional mapping in fishing communities: territorial belonging on the coast of northeast Brazil in the face of environmental impacts. (Estudos agrarios criticos e COVID-19: movimentos socioterritoriais e luta pela terra no Brasil.)

The article presents the production of bioregional maps lived and managed in the territory of fishing communities, based on their involvement, knowledge and actions, referring to the impacts of the oil spill in 09 locations on the coast of NE Brazil. Several fishing communities were affected by the oil spill crime that occurred in 2019. Territorial management is constituted, in the event on screen, from actions that aimed to solve problems arising from the impacts on the territory that are described and problematized by the fishing communities themselves that had suffering prolonged over time and space due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The descriptions and problematizations were constituted and systematized from the project "Manchas do Sofrimento" originated from the INCT Amb Tropic II, GT 4.0 Oil Spills. Decolonial and Popular Education references allowed the fabric of this article, whose methodology was based on a qualitative approach, based on the collaborative construction of maps by fishermen and fishermen and a team of researchers and scholars from the Federal University of Bahia. The technique of bioregional mapping, based on citizen science, structures the methodological dimension. As a result, we bring a methodology constituted in an integrative way, in which multiple knowledge enabled the elaboration of maps, which demonstrated the sense of belonging of fishermen and fisherwomen and defense of their territorialities. from the collaborative construction of maps by fishermen and fisherwomen and a team of researchers and scholars from the Federal University of Bahia. The technique of bioregional mapping, based on citizen science, structures the methodological dimension. As a result, we bring a methodology constituted in an integrative way, in which multiple knowledge enabled the elaboration of maps, which demonstrated the sense of belonging of fishermen and fisherwomen and defense of their territorialities. from the collaborative construction of maps by fishermen and fisherwomen and a team of researchers and scholars from the Federal University of Bahia. The technique of bioregional mapping, based on citizen science, structures the methodological dimension. As a result, we bring a methodology constituted in an integrative way, in which multiple knowledge enabled the elaboration of maps, which demonstrated the sense of belonging of fishermen and fisherwomen and defense of their territorialities.

COVID-19 impacts on farmed species: focus on turbot and caviar

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the seafood supply chain were assessed, focusing in particular on the farmed turbot supply chain and the sturgeon caviar market in the EU. Overall, 2020 saw consistent export volumes of turbot in the EU. The sharp decline in trade at the initial impact of the pandemic, during March and April of 2020, has been offset by the peak export seasons of summer and Christmas. In Spain, turbot used to be sold to the HoReCa segment and other "premium" markets at international level (USA, Asia). As these traditional segments were closed during lockdown periods or experienced logistic problems, main Spanish producers almost completely shifted to the retail market in a few months. So far in 2021, an operator reports that a significant part of turbot production is still sold through retail despite lower sale prices, since the HoReCa sector is still impacted by the low level of tourism activities. This appears consistent with the growth of at-home consumption volumes in Spain in 2020 (+55% compared to 2019). However, this shift caused a slight drop of the average price. Overall, 2020 saw lower exports and imports of caviar. The sharpest decline in trade was seen during the initial impact of the pandemic, in March and April 2020. Logistical problems, as well as a decline in demand are the explanatory factors. As the year progressed and the peak season of Christmas drew closer, volumes increased to approach pre-pandemic levels. During the first half of 2021 the trade of caviar seemed to be higher than ever before. As there is no production data available it is unsure how production was affected, but several stakeholders report postponing their spring harvest.

Aquaculture and biodiversity to 2050

This article presents an analysis of aquaculture at the global level, stressing the extent to which the sector faces a range of challenges, among them a rising demand for seafood products in response to demographic growth, a global biodiversity crisis and planet-wide changes that include the effects of climate disruption. At the same time, it does not seem that we are currently on course to meet the international biodiversity objectives we have set ourselves: wide-ranging changes are needed in many sectors of production to achieve this. And the COVID crisis has revealed the low resilience of globalized production systems and shown why it might be advantageous to repatriate some production. Though aquaculture still has important environmental problems to resolve before it is sustainable, it has some competitive advantages by comparison with other animal products that ought to enable it to confront the food security challenge in the period to 2050. Various scenarios are proposed, including an increase, on a trend basis, of 44% in global aquaculture production. All these scenarios will require political choices (given that conservation and sustainable-farming approaches can rarely be fully reconciled) and the public will need to be provided with honest information, while biodiversity is prioritized as both a universal common good and a source of future solutions.

Tilapia aquaculture in Mexico - assessment with a focus on social and economic performance

The world tilapia aquaculture production grew from 380 000 tonnes in 1990 to 6 million tonnes in 2018, making it the fourth-largest species group in global aquaculture. Tilapias are the second-largest species group in Mexico's aquaculture with its 53 000 tonnes of production contributing to around 20 percent of the 247 000 tonnes of total aquaculture production in 2018. Mexico is the second-largest tilapia capture fisheries country, and its 116 000 tonnes of tilapia capture fisheries production in 2018 was primarily contributed by culture-based fisheries. Overall, Mexico is the second-largest international market for tilapia products, and the 228 000 tonnes live weight equivalent of its tilapia import in 2018 was higher than its domestic production. The average per capita apparent tilapia consumption in Mexico was 3.08 kg (21 percent of its total fish consumption) in 2018, which was much higher than the 0.9 kg world average. This document assesses tilapia farming and the value chain in Mexico by examining tilapia farming systems and practices, dissecting the tilapia value chain, evaluating the sector's social and economic performance, discussing the impacts of proper governance and institutions on the sector development, and highlighting potentials, issues, constraints and challenges in the development of tilapia farming or aquaculture in general. The document ends with a brief discussion of the impacts of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on the tilapia industry in the country.

Effects of adding different silver carp fish pastes on the quality of lion's head meatballs

To clarify the most suitable fish paste for preparing lion's head meatballs, this study investigated the effect of adding 6 different silver carp fish pastes: fresh unwashed (group 1-1), fresh washed (group 1-2), frozen unwashed without antifreeze agent (group 2-1), frozen washed without antifreeze agent (group 2-2), frozen unwashed with antifreeze agent (group 3-1), and frozen washed with antifreeze agent (group 3-2) on the basic nutrients, color, texture properties, waterholding capacity, sensory and flavor properties, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARs) value, and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) content of pork/fish composite meatballs. The results showed that the contents of protein and fat in meatballs from groups 2-1 and 2-2 were lower than those in groups 3-1 and 3-2, and the contents of water, protein and fat were 61.68%, 11.32% and 19.41% for group 2-1, and 62.45%, 11.09% and 19.33% for group 2-2, respectively. The gel properties, hardness, elasticity, cohesion, and sensory quality of groups 3-1 and 3-2 were significantly higher than those of groups 2-1 and 2-2 (P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference compared with groups 1-1 and 1-2. The odor response value of groups 3 was lower than that of groups 1, and groups 3 had the highest sweetness value (3 039.66) and lowest bitterness value (534.59). The TBARs value and TVB-N content in groups 1-2, 2-2, and 3-2 (with washed fish paste) were significantly lower than those in groups 1-1, 2-1 and 3-1 (with unwashed fish paste) (P < 0.05). Since fresh fish paste is not easy to store and subject to spoilage, frozen washed fish paste with antifreeze agent can be used to produce composite meatballs.

Helping Louisiana's shrimp industry during the pandemic

This article reports on the inclusion of wild-caught shrimp in the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) program to help Louisiana's shrimp industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of a quick Sea Grant mobilization, $50 million in cash from USDA was infused into the shrimping industry, and 7.6 million pounds of Louisiana shrimp were taken out of inventory and distributed nationwide.

Bibliometrics and visual analysis of international food safety research

Since the 1990s, food safety has caused widespread concern from all walks of life. According to the theory of bibliometrics and scientific knowledge map and knowledge mining method, this paper quantitatively analyzed and visualized 3024 food safety papers and 31032 references in the core collection of Web of Science (WoS) to explore their research status, topic evolution and development trend. The number of academic papers in the field of international food safety increased by 11 times during the past 31 years;the knowledge structure of this field consists of foodborne pathogenic bacteria, food safety cognition, public health and food safety management;its research topics showed an evolution from consumer behavior and food-borne diseases to food safety risk management, food safety governance, food traceability system, food testing, to food global value chain, heavy metal excess, pesticide residues, food safety culture, to blockchain technology, Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, food fraud;food safety knowledge and willingness to pay premium, food contamination, aquatic seafood safety, vegetable safety, blockchain, COVID-19 represent the frontier trends, so as to provide references for academic research and government supervision in this field.

Evaluation of the effects of pandemic (COVID-19) on the world fishery sector with SWOT analysis approach

In this study, the effects of the pandemic, which started to affect the world to 2019-December, on the world aquaculture sector were evaluated with SWOT analysis (opportunities, benefits, and threats). Previous studies on this subject were scanned using certain keywords (COVID-19, pandemic, coronavirus, fishing, fisheries), and a total of 33 studies were listed. Previous studies were classified according to the sub-areas (continents) determined by FAO. The effects of the pandemic on the sector were tried to be determined according to the continents. Accordingly, the threats on a global scale were supply-demand imbalances, closure of restaurants, storage inadequacies, plastic pollution, closure of borders, illegal fishing, inequalities in the sector, and curfew restrictions. The opportunities;creation of new supply chains, raising awareness about the seafood that positive effect on health, establishing a supply-demand balance, granting work permits to fishermen during curfews, allocation of funds to be used in extraordinary situations such as pandemics, development of aquaculture, implementation of measures for the continuity of import-export, providing economic aid packages to vulnerable sector workers such as small scale fisheries, limiting the sexist understanding in the sector, and giving more opportunities to women, and cooperation with riparian countries to prevention of illegal fishing. Its benefits are listed as prevention of overfishing in the short term, protection of fish stocks, reduction of industrial pollution in the aquatic ecosystem, adoption of an ecosystem-based fishing approach in small settlements, and an increase in recreational fishing. As a result of this analysis, it has been understood that we may create accurate and fair international cooperation to solve the adverse effects of pandemia. With this gained experience, it is thought that new production strategies should be developed for trustable food supply chains in the changing world.

Impact of COVID-19 on consumption of fish and other meats in NE region of India

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented stresses on food supply chain in the country, with bottlenecks in processing, transportation and logistics, as well as momentous shifts in consumption pattern and demand for fish and other meat. In this study, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on consumption pattern of fish, chicken, egg, mutton, beef and pork, market availability and as well as prices in North Eastern Region of India was analysed in this study. The study based on primary data collected through online survey method for which a questionnaire framed in Google Form. The sample comprises of total 104 respondents. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test for repeated measure differences between before COVID-19 and during COVID-19 levels of consumption of fish and other non vegetarian food items and quality of fishes supplied during two periods were analysed. It was found that the reduction in consumption of fishes, chicken and beef, during COVID-19 pandemic, were statistically significant. Whereas, the Wilcoxon signed rank test statistics for mutton and pork turned out to be insignificant. During COVID-19 the consumption of local fishes increased due non availability and distortion of fish supply chain. The quality of fishes in terms of freshness, size and odour were also impacted. Due poor availability of fishes, prices of fish increased during COVID-19. The increase in fish prices and poor availability of fishes resulted to shift in purchase of processed fish products in the North Eastern Region in India. The disruption in transportation, logistics, lockdown, etc during COVID-19 impacted trade of fishes as well as its consumption in the region. Hence, efforts for increasing of local supply of fishes as well as the development of resilient supply chain with sufficient storage facilities is needed to cope up under such unprecedented situation.

Existence of severe acute respiratory syndrome causing Coronavirus-2 (COVID-19) on aquatic animals and aquatic products: a review

Many pandemic diseases have emerged in the history and millions of people affected from these diseases. Among the marked pandemics in history, the plague, known as the black death, was recorded to cause the death of 17-54% of the world population. Similar to previous pandemics, as the SARS CoV-2, which emerged in 2019 and belonged to the coronavirus family, caused an epidemic and turned into a pandemic infection, positive cases were detected in more than 483 million people, and more than 6.1 million people died. While this emerging epidemic is still continuing its effects, it has been determined that there are positive cases in pets such as dogs and cats, especially in mink (Neovison vison). Especially in Denmark, Netherlands and Finland, positive animals for COVID-19 were accepted. Unlike the pandemic until today, the COVID-19 has spread to broader geographies and affected many animal species. With the reports that the SARS-CoV-2 - was first transmitted from bats to humans, this viral agent has been accepted as zoonotic, but a complete transmission route has not been shown for its transmission from other animals to humans except bats. It is reported that there is no significant risk of transmission of the virus, which is transmitted primarily by the respiratory route, from both pets and edible foods to humans. Although there are many reports in terrestrial animals, studies on the presence of SARS-CoV-2 - in aquatic animals or aquatic environments and COVID-19 transmission in aquatic animals have doubts. Here we reviewed the viability of the SARS-CoV-2 - in the aquatic environment, transmission to the aquatic ecosystem and aquatic animals, and therefore the risks to humans through water or aquatic products.

Comparative study of the effects of COVID-19 on the activities of fishermen in two fisheries in Burkina Faso

The artisanal fishery in Burkina Faso, already fragile, has been severely affected by government measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. Fishermen were the first actors to feel the impact of the crisis. This study was undertaken to assess the impact of the pandemic on their activities in two fisheries in Burkina Faso. To this end, a survey was conducted in the Samendeni and Sourou fisheries. A total of 86 fishermen were interviewed. The variables collected were: unemployment rate, reduction in fishing time, variation in fish prices, loss of income, inaccessibility of fishing equipment. The results reveal that 31.4% of the fishermen were unemployed, of which 41.2% were from Samendeni and 17.1% from Sourou. A reduction in fishing time of 1 to 6 months was observed in 53.49%. The perception of the fishermen on the catches shows that 2.32% have made gains in catches, 27.91% have not noticed a variation in their catches and 69.77% have noted a decrease in the quantities caught. They lost an average of 30.3% and 22.16% of their income in Samendeni and Sourou respectively. This study revealed the difficulties experienced by fishermen during the restrictive measures to curb COVID-19.

The impact of COVID 19 on fisher and fish farmer terms of trade

Reflecting the level of welfare of the fishers and fish farmers, terms of trade index (namely NTN/NTP) is believed to have decreased as the result of the Covid 19 outbreak. And, recognizing the important role of fisheries in the economy, understanding what have occured to the index is relevant. This paper aimed to: (i) analyze the impact of the outbreak on NTN/NTPi and (ii) identify what changes in variables have significant contribution to the NTN/NTPi decrease. The analytical method used is descriptive quantitative. The primary data consisted of: (i) fisher and fish farmer terms of trade as published by the Central Bureau of Statistics, (ii) variables that compose the price index received by fishermen / fish farmers and the index of prices paid by fishermen / fish farmers. The results showed that the decline in NTN and NTP occurred in all provinces in Indonesia. For fishers and fish farmers, variables of received price index that had the most significant effect on the decline is basic need cost such as food, drinks, cloth and transportation while variables of paid price index that had the most significant effect on the decline is capital goods.

The 3rd International conference on Fisheries and Marine Sciences, Surabaya, Indonesia, 10 September 2020

This proceedings contains 96 papers on ocean biodiversity;breeding, reproduction, feeding and diseases of aquacultured fish and shellfish;water quality;fishery management, seafood preservation and quality;aquaculture and fishery economics and the impact of COVID-19 on aquaculture and fishery production.

The economic impact of COVID-19 on French fisheries

The crisis linked to the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the French fishing industry through market disruptions, both on the supply and on the demand sides. This article focuses on the measurement of impacts of these disruptions on the fish auction markets, considering regional and local dimensions. Fish auction markets are part of regional systems along each coastline of metropolitan France. At the local scale, they are differentiated with respect to the specialisation of products offered for first-sale. The measurement of impacts of the health crisis on these markets relate to the adaptation behaviour of fishers at regional and local scales. It is through the complementary nature of marketing channels that fishers can find solutions to future shocks.

Effect of COVID-19 on fish seed marketing in West Bengal, India

West Bengal is the leading state in fish seed production in India. The pick season for production and transportation of fish seed usually starts from March, while in 2020 due to the spread of COVID-19 pandemic and imposition of lockdown the supply of fish seed was paused, creating a threatening situation in the lives of the people associated with it. The study aims to find out different extremities faced by the fish seed traders from North-24 Parganas, Howrah and Nadia districts of West Bengal, India due to enforcement of lockdown. It reveals a complete halt in fish seed distribution at some locations. Most of the respondents, took part in this research are found upto graduate level educated persons who fear of fish scarcity and hike in fish price in very near future. The study also highlights the analysis of current marketing channel related to fish seed distribution and socio-economic condition of various fish seed actors.

Boosting the immune system with functional compounds during the COVID-19 pandemic: a review

Background: More than 1 year has passed since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nutrition and its role in boosting the immune system have been a hot topic during the previous year in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic. An effective medicine for COVID-19 has not been introduced and public vaccination has not gained an acceptable speed in the world;therefore, preventive measures, protocols adherence, and a robust immune system are crucial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of food in boosting the immune system during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Development of local food products made from tilapia fish post COVID-19 pandemic in Senggreng Village, Sumber Pucung District, Malang Regency

The Covid-19 pandemic has become a problem for the community so that efforts need to be made to increase income for the community. In facing the global crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic, business actors (both large and small and medium enterprises) can survive by taking advantage of existing opportunities. One of the efforts made is community empowerment in Senggreng Village, Sumber Pucung District, Malang Regency as one of the villages in the tilapia fish farming area. Community empowerment is carried out with several stages, starting from strengthening the community, visiting the community, conducting training, and mentoring. The processed tilapia fish produced are creamy tilapia curry and tilapia nuggets. The impact of this activity is to increase knowledge, business motivation, and market networks to increase the income for the fish processing community. Moreover, this activity also creates processed food products made from tilapia fish in Malang Regency.

Building back better after COVID-19: why South Africa needs an equitable food system for small-scale farmers and fishers, street traders and consumers - and how to build it

This policy brief reports headline findings from research investigating the impacts of Covid-19 regulations and mitigation measures on actors in South Africa's food system. The research focuses on fresh produce in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal and fish in the Western Cape. The researchers conducted 211 in-depth interviews, facilitated the production of 24 food diaries and visited 16 primary field sites.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its implications for food safety in East Africa

This study explored how response to COVID-19, especially the implementation of mitigation measures, might have impacted on food safety in East Africa. The work was implemented in the framework of an ongoing food safety project in East Africa that was being led by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). Data were collected in November and December 2020 through telephone and online interviews and using a short guide developed by the project. Food safety experts (n = 25) based in countries within East Africa and who had engaged with ILRI in previous projects were asked to participate in the study. In terms of impact, livestock was ranked as the most affected value chain (60%;15/25), followed by vegetables and fruits (32%) and finally fish (8%). For livestock products, meat (62%), dairy (38%) and poultry (12%) were the most affected by the pandemic. The cereals value chain was perceived to be the least affected (68%). As regards to regulation, staff were few and had to work in shifts. Market surveillance programs were also affected. Food safety concerns associated with bulk purchases (aflatoxins, access to expired products etc.) were reported. Gaps in the implementation of the One Health approach were observed. COVID-19 has significantly impacted food systems, not only in terms of production and access but also in terms of quality and safety of available food products. Interventions to address future pandemics will need to consider the negative impacts arising from enforcement of measures to mitigate diseases of public health importance. A One Health approach would facilitate this.