Restocking of small water bodies for a post COVID recovery and growth of fisheries and aquaculture production: socioeconomic implications. (Special Issue: Technology and innovation for a post COVID recovery and growth: the contribution of industry and academia.)

Restocking of fish in Small Water Bodies (SWBs) is one of the technologies that can be used to enhance fish-food production for post Covid recovery and growth in food security, and national development. The current study aimed at assessing the socioeconomic impact and stock performance of restocked Nile tilapia fingerlings in SWBs in 15 counties in the Western and Central regions where the Aquaculture Business Development Programme (ABDP) is implemented. The study employed both primary and secondary data from socioeconomics, environmental characteristics and fisheries and aquaculture aspects. There was no restocked dam with a low (<1.66) socioeconomic impact, indicating the potential for restocking. The majority (n = 27;79%) of the restocked SWBs had a moderate (1.66-2.33) impact, owing to the inherent constraints of adoptability by the local community. Twenty one percent (n = 7;21%) of the SWBs had a high (2.34-3.00) impact and with better environmental conditions. The average condition factor (K) of tilapia in restocked SWBs was 1.24 +or- 0.53 SD, suggesting excellent fish growth condition. Notably, restocking the SWBs could benefit riparian fishing communities by improving their livelihoods and providing food and nutritional security. Given the limited exploitation of fish in most SWBs in the developing countries, additional community awareness and capacity building interventions are needed to enhance optimal use of SWBs in post Covid era.

How the pre and post COVID-19 era have shaped system understanding of the socioeconomic impact of small-scale inland fisheries

The current study provided a socioeconomic quantification of small-scale inland fisheries in East Africa using fish market information data for major markets in the pre (2009–2017) and post COVID-19 containment (Jan–May 2022) eras. The socioeconomic status index (SEI) incorporated 6 dimensions: access to fresh fish, access to market, available fish processing (drying) infrastructure, favourable price range, high quantity range traded, and high seasonal profit margins;using three major commercial fishes (Nile perch, Tilapia and Dagaa) and the season (pre and post COVID-19) as the main independent variables. The SEI was calculated using a segmented sociometric scale interval as: ≥ 4.21Very High ≤5.00;≥3.41 High ≤4.20;≥2.61 Moderate ≤3.40;≥1.81 Low ≤2.60;and ≤1.00 Very Low ≤1.80. The socioeconomic quantification was highly dependent on COVID-19 containment periods that reflected very high (pre COVID-19 = 4.67, post COVID-19 = 4.06) impacts on small-scale inland fisheries. This suggested a negative impact of COVID-19 on small-scale inland fisheries attributed to various factors such as disrupted value chains, reduced purchasing power among the customers, struggles by businesses to compensate for losses incurred during the pandemic, and diversion of economic focus. The impact had a lower proportion on Dagaa, given its low value compared to the other two major commercial species. The quantification of fish data during a pandemic is useful to provide mitigation measures for shocks that could be anticipated in the sector for sustainable fish-food systems. © 2022 The Author(s)

Restocking of small water bodies for a post Covid recovery and growth of fisheries and aquaculture production: Socioeconomic implications

Restocking of fish in Small Water Bodies (SWBs) is one of the technologies that can be used to enhance fish-food production for post Covid recovery and growth in food security, and national development. The current study aimed at assessing the socioeconomic impact and stock performance of restocked Nile tilapia fingerlings in SWBs in 15 counties in the Western and Central regions where the Aquaculture Business Development Programme (ABDP) is implemented. The study employed both primary and secondary data from socioeconomics, environmental characteristics and fisheries and aquaculture aspects. There was no restocked dam with a low (<1.66) socioeconomic impact, indicating the potential for restocking. The majority (n = 27;79%) of the restocked SWBs had a moderate (1.66–2.33) impact, owing to the inherent constraints of adoptability by the local community. Twenty one percent (n = 7;21%) of the SWBs had a high (2.34–3.00) impact and with better environmental conditions. The average condition factor (K) of tilapia in restocked SWBs was 1.24 ± 0.53 SD, suggesting excellent fish growth condition. Notably, restocking the SWBs could benefit riparian fishing communities by improving their livelihoods and providing food and nutritional security. Given the limited exploitation of fish in most SWBs in the developing countries, additional community awareness and capacity building interventions are needed to enhance optimal use of SWBs in post Covid era. © 2022 The Author(s)