Social demographic patterns and participation in the Gariep Dam fishery, South Africa, during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

The global Covid-19 pandemic resulted in an economic downturn that influenced behavioural and participation patterns of fishing sectors  around the world. Monitoring changes in fisheries is essential for understanding their human dimension and informing decision- making for development, conservation and management of fish resources. This study documented and described fishery patterns and  participation during the Covid-19 pandemic through roving creel surveys. In addition, due to historic surveys of the recreational and  subsistence fishery, it was possible to compare the current patterns to previous results and to show the potential Covid-19 related  impacts. Subsistence fishing dominated the fishery, with 94% of 431 regular fishers utilising the resources for home consumption or sale.  Compared to historic surveys, a marked decline in estimated recreational fishing was observed, but no significant change was identified in participation patterns of subsistence fishers. This downturn in recreational fishing affected the sociodemographic characteristics of the  fishery, where changes in ethnic participation were noted; there was also an increase in the number of unemployed fishers during  the pandemic. Utilisation of the fish resources was dominated by subsistence users and 97% of fish caught was for self-consumption or  sale. This underlines the importance of fish for subsistence users, who rely on the resource for food or income and could not avoid  fishing during the pandemic, as they had no alternative. This study highlights the importance of socio-demographic and participation  data on fisheries, to provide scientific advice to policymakers on ideal responses to events such as a pandemic. This evidence of temporal  changes in hook-and-line fisheries provides inland fishery authorities the opportunity to develop mitigation measures with greater  resilience to cope with future global crises. Lastly, the study emphasises the importance of access to fisheries, especially during times of  high regional economic and societal stress.