Open AccessImpacts of COVID ‐19 on U.S. aquaculture, aquaponics, and allied businesses
Author(s) -
Senten Jonathan,
Smith Matthew A.,
Engle Carole R.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of the world aquaculture society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.655
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1749-7345
pISSN - 0893-8849
DOI - 10.1111/jwas.12715
Subject(s) - aquaculture , business , government (linguistics) , biosecurity , declaration , covid-19 , service (business) , aquaponics , product (mathematics) , agricultural economics , economic growth , fishery , natural resource economics , marketing , fish <actinopterygii> , biology , political science , economics , disease , ecology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , linguistics , philosophy , geometry , mathematics , pathology , law , medicine
With the declaration of a national emergency in early March of 2020, the United States formally joined the list of countries around the world implementing nonessential business closures and social distancing policies in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). As individuals, businesses, and the U.S. government responded to protect public health and combat the spread of the novel coronavirus disease, our collective actions have not been without consequences. While food production, including aquaculture, has been deemed essential, and the operation of farms has been allowed to continue, the loss of major market channels and interruption of other business sectors has resulted in a variety of different impacts and challenges for the U.S. aquaculture industry. It is estimated that the majority (68%) of seafood in the United States is consumed outside of the home (National Marine Fisheries Service 2018). In some instances, such as mollusks, estimates are that only 4% of primary point of sales are direct to consumers (USDA 2019). Under such conditions, the closure of food service establishments and implementation of shelterat-home policies means a significant disruption in the sales of aquaculture and seafood products. In response to reports from industry, a collaborative effort between the Virginia Tech Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center (AREC) and The Ohio State University Extension was initiated in March of 2020 to assess the impacts of COVID-19 on U.S. aquaculture, aquaponics, and allied businesses. While this study is scheduled to continue for the duration of 2020, to capture the evolving impacts of COVID-19, the results from the first quarter survey paint a troubling picture and worrisome outlook for the U.S. aquaculture industry. The summary of findings shared in this editorial represents the usable responses (537) to the first quarter survey, representing approximately 18% of all U.S. aquaculture producers (USDA 2019). Despite the accelerated timeline, the survey instrument underwent a standardized process of development, including expert review, pretesting, and Institutional Review Board review (van Senten, Smith, and Engle 2020). The survey instrument was not designed to capture any personally identifiable information, and individual responses were treated as confidential. It is important to note that respondents self-selected for participation in the study, and no probabilistic sampling method was used because of time constraints. As a result, it is possible that the findings discussed here are skewed toward farms and businesses that have been more affected by COVID-19. However, given the effects and impacts reported by participating producers, it is very likely that nonrespondents are experiencing similar challenges.