Socio-Economic Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Small-Scale Fisher Households in Kerala State

Abstract

Aims: The COVID-19 pandemic caused devastating and far-reaching impacts on the economic construct of several countries. The fisheries sector in India was impacted by the nationwide lockdown causing severe disruptions in fishing and marketing activities. In this context, an analysis of the socio-economic impact of the pandemic on small-scale fisher (SSF) households in Kerala was done. Study Design:  The fishery income, employment, household consumption, and indebtedness of the small-scale fishers during the pre- and post-pandemic period were analyzed based on the data collected from small-scale fisher households in Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Malappuram Districts. The information on access to relief and support measures and alternate livelihood sources was also collected to assess the economic security of the fisher households. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted during the pandemic years 2020 and 2021 in the selected coastal districts in Kerala state. Methodology: Snowball sampling was adopted followed by telephonic interviews to collect the information from the fisher households. Descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA were used for data analysis Results: The annual fishing days declined from 134 to 82 days in Alappuzha district (38.8% reduction) and from 134 days to 70 days in Ernakulam district(47.76% reduction). The respondents in Ernakulam district reported a 34% reduction in consumption expenditure followed by 13% in Alappuzha and 11% in Ernakulam district. More than 75% of the respondents borrowed money to meet household expenses during the pandemic. The results indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic deepened the debt burden and exacerbated the livelihood constraints of the small-scale fishers Conclusion: The Government transfer payments and relief measures during the pandemic were inadequate. The study proposes measures to improve the livelihood security and resilience of the fishers through the creation of alternate livelihood options, incentives to compensate for the loss of fishing days, debt relief measures, and sustainable markets.