Abstract

Subsistence fishing has played an integral role in sustaining island communities for thousands of years, especially small islands with limited terrestrial resources (Keegan et al. 2008). While island communities have historically relied on subsistence fishing to meet their food needs, this has declined with the growth of modern agriculture and increased food imports. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic produced abrupt changes in socio-ecological systems on islands, especially the associated shocks to food supply chains, causing many to turn to the sea. During the pandemic, subsistence fishing was one of the few activities allowed during the lockdown restrictions in small-island countries like The Bahamas, leading to a surge in the number of fishers engaging in small-scale fishing. One well-monitored fishery saw catches of queen conch increase three-fold above background catch levels, along with an increase in illegal fishing activity (Higgs 2021), suggesting a reliance on marine resources as a safety net during times of crisis (Bene 2020). This preliminary evidence not only demonstrated rapid increases in subsistence fishing activity coincidental with the pandemic, but also indicates that subsistence fisheries may have played an important role in mitigating the worst of the social impacts of the pandemic. Despite this, social research had not been conducted to elucidate the actors, drivers, and motivators of these changes.

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