April 7, 2020 — It might be difficult to fathom while we reside in the belly of the beast, but information being compiled by NOAA on the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the U.S. commercial seafood industry could improve the agency’s response in future natural disasters and economic crises.
NOAA said it has assembled a team of experts from a variety of disciplines throughout the agency — including economists and social scientists — to collect and analyze data on how the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 are impacting the U.S. commercial seafood industry, from harvesters straight up through the supply chain.
The agency is looking for stakeholders — both wild harvest and aquaculture — to relate their personal experiences from within the grip of the pandemic. Those stories, the agency said, could help frame NOAA’s future responses to disasters.
“We are interested in learning about the virus’s impacts on their employees, their business, the businesses they support and the broader supply chain,” NOAA said in the statement accompanying the announcement of the team’s formation. “Stakeholders interested in sharing information on the effects of COVID-19 on their businesses can submit that information to NMFS.COVID-19@noaa.gov.”