A new study published Monday, 23 November by a group of academic researchers provides a first attempt at a comprehensive review of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the U.S. seafood industry.
The study, “Early effects of COVID‐19 on U.S. fisheries and seafood consumption,” published in the journal Fish and Fisheries, found in the first six months of 2020, U.S. seafood exports dropped 20 percent and imports fell 6 percent compared to the same period last year. Drilling down, the research team – led by University of Vermont Professor Easton White – found widely disparate effects in individual regions across the U.S. and between different species and types of seafood. Live, fresh, and chilled imports dropped 37 percent and exports fell between 29 and 43 percent between February and April 2020. At the height of the coronavirus crisis in the United States, catches dropped up to 40 percent across the U.S…