December 21, 2020 — The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted commercial fishing activities in the Northeastern U.S. and Mid-Atlantic, according to a new study.
Though many fishers suffered a decline in income, survey results — published Thursday in the journal PLOS One — suggest many were able to adapt and continue fishing through the market disruptions triggered by the pandemic.
With indoor dining services restricted across much of the country, restaurants have been especially hard hit by the pandemic’s economic consequences. When restaurants falter, those that supply them suffer, too.
Between March and June, researchers at Rutgers University surveyed commercial fishers from Maine through North Carolina to find out how those who make their living on the water were coping as demand for fine dining dried up.