Impacts of COVID-19 on small-scale aquaculture of marine species in earthen ponds in Surat Thani Province, Thailand

ABSTRACT

Since early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has made adverse impacts on the economy of many countries, including Thailand where small-scale aquaculture was important for seafood supply and livelihood of the country. The objectives of this study were to describe the characteristics of small-scale aquaculture, identify the impacts of COVID-19 on small-scale aquaculture and adaptation of farmers to cope with the impacts, and depict the support received by farmers. Face-to-face interview was carried out in Surat Thani Province with 110 farmers from three types of small-scale aquaculture (i.e. fish, crab, and shrimp farming) between August 2020 and April 2021. The results revealed that the characteristics of farmers among the three types of small-scale aquaculture were not different, while characteristics of farms among them were different. Most farmers (89%) was affected by COVID-19 with the major impacts such as decreased number of market channels, price of fish, and revenue from farm production. The farmers among the three types of small-scale aquaculture similarly adapted their farming activities (farm management and marketing strategies). There were similar proportions of farmers among the three types of small-scale aquaculture in receiving the support to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19. The major support was financial assistance from the national government. Furthermore, the government bodies were the most important sector to help farmers to relieve the impacts of COVID-19, while non-government bodies should also get involved in mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 as well as other pandemics or disasters in the future.