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. 2022 Jun 30;55:102519. doi: 10.1016/j.rsma.2022.102519

Impacts of COVID-19 on at-sea data collection and regulatory activities and fisheries catches off Namibia

Victoria Ndinelago Erasmus a,⁎, Vasana Tutjavi b, Abisai Konstantinus c, Toivo Uahengo d, Stanley Ndara a
PMCID: PMC9245331  PMID: 35791314

Abstract

This study was undertaken to: (i) comprehend the observers’ perceptions of COVID-19 and identify its impacts on the observation of harvesting, handling, and processing of marine resources, and biological data collection during commercial fishing, (ii) assess the risk of contracting COVID-19 onboard the fishing vessels, (iii) compare fishery catches for the pre-COVID-19 (2018 and 2019) and COVID-19 (2020 and 2021) years, and (iv) suggest possible ways to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on the activities of at sea-observations and data collection. Thus, 45 Namibian fisheries observers were interviewed by telephone to capture their perceptions of COVID-19 on the sea-observations and biological data collection. Messrooms were the riskiest places (45.7%) onboard the fishing vessel where observers perceived likely to contract COVID-19. For at-sea observations, 57.1% of the respondents felt that COVID-19 has negatively impacted observations as fisheries observers were risk-averse, especially in the processing factories. Half of the participants purported a negative impact on the collection of biological data, as on some vessels fisheries observers were not permitted to sample the fish supposedly for fear of cross-contamination. Analysis of fisheries observation data and fisheries catch data showed a significant difference in the total number of fishing trips made between 2018 and 2021 (X2=145.34, df = 3, p < 0.05), with a notable reduction in 2020 fishing trips. Similarly, the number of observed fishing trips between 2018 and 2021 differed significantly (X2=136.80, df = 3, p < 0.05). Fishing catches were lowest in 2020, possibly reflecting severe impacts of COVID-19 in that year. Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on at-sea observation and data collection can inform decision makers to improve management of marine resources during COVID-19 pandemic. Findings from this study can also serve as a lesson for nations that use observer data for stock assessment.

Keywords: Fisheries observer, COVID-19, At-sea observation, Fishing, Namibia

1. Introduction

Currently, the world is experiencing disruptions and impacts caused by the COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease of 2019) pandemic across different sectors and economic activities (Malpass, 2020, Poudel et al., 2020, Tang et al., 2021). The COVID-19 was initially reported at the end of 2019 in China (Zhu et al., 2020). Globally, extensive research has been conducted in different geographical places on COVID-19 and its impacts in many sectors such as food and agriculture (Poudel et al., 2020), education (Tang et al., 2021), fisheries (Nyiawung et al., 2021), and trade and tourism (Abbas et al., 2021). As of 1 April 2022, more than six million people have lost their lives to COVID-19, while about 489 million people were known to be infected with this virus globally (World Health Organization (WHO), 2022). In Namibia, the first case of COVID-19 was recorded on 14 March 2020. Thereafter, several measures were put in place country-wide to restrict the spread of COVID-19, however, the cases continued to increase. As of 1 April 2022, Namibia has reported 157,646 COVID-19 cases, with 4,019 deaths recorded since the start of the pandemic (Worldometer.s, 2022). COVID-19 related deaths have been reported among sea-going personnel onboard fishing vessels (The Namibian, 2021b). Despite an increase of COVID-19 cases in Namibia, limited research has been conducted on the impacts of this pandemic in different sectors in Namibia (Julius et al., 2020).

Specifically, there is no investigation yet on how COVID-19 has impacted the works of fisheries observers in Namibia. At the forefront of sustainable harvest and management of marine resources are fisheries observers who ensure compliance monitoring of fishing activities, under Namibia’s fisheries observer programme (Fisheries Observer Agency). Fisheries observer programmes are valuable in the fishing industries globally (Porter, 2010, Ewell et al., 2020, Snyder and Erbaugh, 2020, Haas and Davis, 2021). Fishing vessels are mostly required to have assigned fisheries observers onboard to ensure that fishing is taking place within the fishing laws (Snyder and Erbaugh, 2020). Additionally, observers collect scientific data that are regarded as independent and reliable (Faunce et al., 2015, Harder and Vaze, 2019, Da Rocha et al., 2021). Examples of fisheries observer programmes around the world include the North Pacific Groundfish (Faunce et al., 2014), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the (NOAA, 2021), the North Pacific Observer Program in Alaska (Cahalan and Faunce, 2020), the Black hake fishery observer programme in Senegal (Cervantes et al., 2020), and the Namibia’s Fisheries Observer Agency (FOA). As of 2017, about 2500 fisheries observers (hereafter ‘observers’) were estimated to be working on fishing vessels globally (Knudson, 2017).

Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative research approaches, this study seeks to explore the disruptions, safety concerns, and impact of COVID-19 on fisheries observers in Namibia. It is through the activities of FOA that the Namibian government ensures compliance with the Marine Resource Act No. 27 of 2000, which governs fishing activities as well as the collection of biological data (MFMR, 2000). Due to the significant role that FOA plays in the sustainable harvest and management of marine resources, it is, therefore, important to investigate how COVID-19 has impacted observers’ operations and further suggest possible ways to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on at-sea observations and data collection activities going forward. The objectives of this study were four-fold: to: (i) comprehend the observers’ perceptions of COVID-19 and identify its impacts on the observation of harvesting, handling, and processing of marine resources, and biological data collection during commercial fishing activities, (ii) assess the risk of contracting COVID-19 onboard the fishing vessels, (iii) compare fishery total catches for the pre-COVID-19 (2018 and 2019) and COVID-19 (2020 and 2021) years, and (iv) suggest possible ways to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on the activities of at sea-observations and data collection. This study is critical, as the Namibian Fishing industry contributes to food security (Erasmus et al., 2021), employs a substantial number of people (16,970 people) (MFMR, 2020), and is the third-highest contributor to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), contributing about 3.9% in 2020 as per the 2020 Namibia Statistical Agency (NSA) report (NSA, 2020).

1.1. Background: Namibia’s fisheries observer programs programmes

Namibia has 144 observers operating under the Fisheries Observer Agency (FOA), (FOA, 2021a). FOA is a Public Enterprise established in 2002 (FOA, 2021b) and reports to the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR). The Namibian fishery-dependent data (e.g., length-frequency data) used in the stock assessment of various species are only collected by observers. The introduction of bird-scaring lines to reduce seabird by-catches or mortalities during fishing activities was introduced and implemented through the Namibian observers (Da Rocha et al., 2021). Furthermore, observer data were used to assess the monkfish resource off Namibia (Maartens and Booth, 2001) and to determine the size structure of monkfish caught in the monkfish fishery (Erasmus, 2021). Globally, studies such as Arkhipkin et al. (2003) and Faunce et al. (2015) were conducted using data and samples collected by observers. At the Southern African Development Community (SADC) second meeting held on 22–24 July 2019 in Gaborone, Botswana, SADC declared the Namibian FOA a Centre of Excellence in recognition of compliance and law enforcement in Namibia fishing industry. The FOA is a significant stakeholder in the Namibian fishing industry, for instance by ensuring the collection of fishery dependent data on commercial (industrial) fishing vessels (Oelofsen, 1999, Boyer and Hampton, 2001, Maartens and Booth, 2001, Erasmus, 2021).

Unlike many African countries such as Cameroon (Nyiawung et al., 2021), Ghana, Liberia, Madagascar, and Somalia (Okafor-Yarwood et al., 2022) that have well-developed Small-Scale Fisheries, the Namibian marine fisheries are almost entirely commercial (Kainge et al., 2020, Erasmus et al., 2021). As such, this study only focuses on the commercial marine fishery in Namibia. Observers in Namibia only observe fishing activities and collect scientific data on marine commercial fishing activities (Oelofsen, 1999, MFMR, 2000). Through the activities of FOA, non-compliance and Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing are addressed (MFMR, 2007, The Namibian newspaper, 2021a). Additionally, observers report violations for example related to dumping of by-catches and marine pollution (FOA database, 2021).

Observers are a key component through which commercial fishing can be monitored because fishing vessels do not operate in proximity and visibility of fisheries inspectors who are mostly shore-based. Observers also ensure the implementation of regulations aimed at the protection of the ecosystem (Da Rocha et al., 2021). Although in Namibia researchers conduct annual biomass surveys for each Total Allowable Catch (TAC) managed species (Kainge et al., 2017), these surveys take place mostly once a year (lasting almost a month) for each fishery and do not cover all fishing grounds. The data collected by observers are invaluable because observers collect data throughout the year (for the whole fishing season), and they collect data on commercial fishing vessels. The data collected by observers are used as input into the stock assessment models to determine the stock status of various fish populations. Although captains of fishing vessels also collect fisheries data in logbooks, these data are limited for instance, captains do not record length frequencies and sex determination of fish caught during fishing activities.

2. Materials and methods

2.1. Research design

The primary data used in this study were collected using semi-structured interviews which presented an opportunity to probe and further explore emerging themes that participants (fisheries observers) brought up when answering the interview questions (Creswell, 2014). This study employed an exploratory research design in a qualitative research setting, although often criticised to be subjective and depending on the individual researcher (Yin, 2003, Mohajan, 2018). However, this qualitative approach was necessary for this study, to explore the “Impacts of COVID-19 on fisheries observer activity in Namibia” based on their perspective and experiences. The secondary data on (i) fishing trips for all fisheries and (ii) the total landed weight data of all Namibian fisheries were sourced from the Namibian FOA database (FOA database, 2021), and the Economics Division under the Directorate of Policy, Planning and Economics (PPE) at the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) respectively. The secondary data is quantitative and therefore was used to quantify the number of trips and the quantity of catches for the 2018–2021 period.

2.2. Questionnaire design and structure

The questionnaire consisted of 16 open and closed structured questions, divided into three sections, namely: introduction and background, knowledge of COVID-19, impact of COVID-19 on observer duties, and suggestions. The introduction and background section captured the age, gender, and work experience of the respondent. The knowledge on COVID-19 section captured the general knowledge regarding COVID-19. The Impact of COVID-19 section was the core of the questionnaire and was aimed to address the first three research objectives. The last section of the questionnaire aimed to capture suggestions on how the FOA can mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on observer duties. The questionnaire was piloted with three control fisheries observers (shore-based observer supervisors), and based on the results of this pilot study, three questions from the questionnaire were adjusted for clarity before the final survey was adopted.

The telephonic interview method was chosen for data collection to comply with the government-imposed COVID-19 regulations that restricted face-to-face contact and to ensure the safety of both the interviewer and respondent (Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia, 2020). Telephonic interviews were also deemed cost-effective, and not as time-consuming as face-to-face interviews (Block and Erskine, 2012, Farooq and De Villiers, 2017). Although there are differences in various fishing vessels in terms of size, target species, and differences in deployment duration (duration of fishing trips), this did not matter for this study. Observers are deployed on a rotational basis, for instance, observers deployed in the hake fishery would at one point get deployed in other fisheries such as in the crab fishery. Namibian observers are not aggregated to specific fisheries or fishing vessels, however, female observers are deployed on almost all fisheries except on the large pelagic fisheries where vessels may stay out at fishing grounds for 3–6 months without docking or changing the crew and line fisheries where accommodation facilities are not conducive for female observers.

2.3. Sampling and data collection

The primary data used in this study were derived from telephonic interviews with observers. The survey respondents were opportunistically sampled from a population of 144 FOA observers. This means a non-probability sampling approach was employed wherein every respondent was selected simply because they were a “convenient” source of data. The approach was necessary due to the small number of observers in Namibia. From the 144 observers’ population, a sample of 45 respondents constituted 31% of the entire population from where the sample was drawn. Subsequently, permission to interview the observers was obtained from the Chief Executive Officer of the FOA. A list of all observers in Namibia was compiled with their contact details and invitations were afterwards disseminated by phone. We interviewed those who consented to participate in the survey.

The mean age of the studied observers’ population was 45.6 years. Among the 45 survey respondents, 76.2% were males, and 23.8% were females. Most respondents (90.5%) have been observers for more than 8 years (Table 1).

Table 1.

Demographic information of the 45 Namibian observers who participated in the study on impacts of COVID-19 on the at-sea observation of fishing activities and the collection of biological data during commercial fishing operations off Namibia (% of respondents, n=45).

Variable Percentage
Gender Male 76.2
Female 23.80
Years in service <1 0
1 to 4 0
5 to 8 9.5
>8 90.5
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During the telephonic invitation, the study objectives were explained, followed by verbal consent from the respondents. To ensure confidentiality and anonymity of participants, questionnaires were assigned numbers, instead of participants’ names. The interviews were conducted in the English language, between 01 March and 31 May 2021. Each interview session lasted between 8–14 min. The participants were not incentivised to encourage their participation.

The interview phase lasted for three months. This length of time was necessary to increase the participation of all fisheries observers including those who were at sea and shore leave at the time of the start of the interviews. A typical fishing trip can last anything between seven days to three months. In a few instances, some fishing trips can take six (6) months, especially fishing trips on the high seas, targeting large pelagic species such as sharks. Therefore, the duration of three months allowed the researchers to accommodate those observers who were deployed at sea at the commencement of the survey. Observers in Namibia are only deployed from Walvis Bay and Lüderitz ports, the only ports in Namibia. The total sample of 45 respondents included: 25 Walvis Bay-based and 20 Lüderitz based observers. The observers were encouraged to answer the study questions based on their observer trips from various fishing vessels (e.g., bottom trawling, longline, and pole and line vessels). Furthermore, observations were based on different fisheries such as hake fishery, monkfish fishery, and crab fishery.

To further address the third objectives of this study, secondary data on (i) fishing trips for all fisheries made between 2018 and 2021 (observed and unobserved) and (ii) the total fishery catches (in weight) data in Namibia from 2018 to 2021 were also assessed. The Namibian fishing industry has many fisheries sectors, however, the fisheries considered in this study were limited to the hake fishery, crab fishery, monkfish fishery, line fish fishery, midwater trawling fishery, tuna longline, and swordfish longline fishery. This was necessary to contextualise the questionnaire to the operations and to draw inferences for similar operations.

2.4. Data analysis

Descriptive statistics were computed from the collected data to obtain the study demographics. Thereafter, the total fishing trips were compared to the number of fishing trips covered by observers between 2018, 2019 (pre-COVID-19 pandemic) and 2020, 2021 (during the COVID-19 pandemic). This was necessary to investigate the impacts of COVID-19 on at-sea observation and biological data collection. Finally, the Chi-square (X2) tests (Zar, 1984) were performed to test whether the number of fishing trips were different between the years compared (2018–2021). Data on observers’ perception on the impacts of COVID-19 on their performance and level of comfort were disaggregated and reported in percentage. Data on perceived most risky places to contract COVID-19 on the fishing vessels were presented per location on a vessel and the Chi-square (X2) tests (Zar, 1984) were performed to test whether the risk levels were different among these places onboard fishing vessels. All calculations were done in the R programming language (R. Core Team, 2018).

3. Results

3.1. Impacts of COVID-19 on at-sea observer coverage

The total fishing trips made varied between 2018 and 2021, with more fishing trips made in 2019 as compared to the other years analysed. Significant differences were found in the total fishing trips for 2018–2021 (X2=145.32, df = 3, p < 0.05) (Fig. 1). In all four years analysed, the fishing trips covered by observers were above 70% of the total fishing trips. A significant difference (X2=136.80, df = 3, p < 0.05) was noted in the total number of fishing trips observed between 2018 and 2021 (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1.

Fig. 1

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Total number of fishing trips covered by the Namibian fisheries observers in 2018 and 2019 (pre-COVID-19 pandemic) and 2020 and 2021 (during the COVID-19 pandemic). (Data courtesy of FOA database).

3.2. Has COVID-19 impacted the observers’ work at sea?

A total of 23.8% of respondents reported not being at all comfortable working at sea amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. A substantial percentage (40%) reported being neutral, neither comfortable nor uncomfortable. While 19.0% of the respondents reported being completely comfortable working at sea amidst the COVID-19 pandemic (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2.

Fig. 2

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The opinion of fisheries observers on the COVID-19 pandemic concerning being comfortable working at sea amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the interview responses of 45 observers. (% of respondents, n=45).

About 31.0% of participants reported that they were able to complete their work at sea satisfactorily amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Nineteen percent of the respondents were not at all able to complete their work satisfactorily (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3.

Fig. 3

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The opinion of fisheries observers on the COVID-19 pandemic concerning being able to perform their job at sea satisfactorily amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the interview responses of 45 observers. (% of respondents, n=45).

3.3. Perceptions of the impacts of COVID-19 on observers

A total of 57.1% of participants stated that the at-sea observation of harvesting, handling, and processing of marine resources was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Around 50% of participants believed that the collection of biological data was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably so, the bi-monthly FOA debriefing sessions about data collection and debriefing of the control fisheries observers after each fishing trip were conducted by telephone instead of the usual face-to-face meetings. The telephonic briefings result in poor communication, as opposed to face-to-face, and this can lead to misunderstandings such as the vessel departure time. Additionally, regarding onboard activity, restricted movements of fisheries observers onboard the vessel, meant some activities such as catch logs and fishing positions were not observed by observers. These are a few examples of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the functions of the FOA.

The fishing vessel messrooms (dining room on the vessel) were perceived as the riskiest places (45.7%) to contract COVID-19, followed by the vessel processing factories (25.7%) (Fig. 4). We found a significant difference in the level of preserved risks of the bathrooms, bridge (wheelhouse), cabins, processing factory (hereafter ‘factory’), messrooms, and stairs (X2=81.61, df = 5, p < 0.05).

Fig. 4.

Fig. 4

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The opinion of fisheries observers on the risky places on the fishing vessels where they were likely to contract COVID-19, based on the interview responses of 45 observers. (% of respondents, n=45).

Given the various Namibian marine fisheries such as the hake trawling, hake longline, line fishery, monkfish fishery, midwater trawling, lobster fishery, and the large pelagic fishery observed by observers, 53.3% stated that they were more likely to contract COVID-19 on the hake longline fishery.

A total of 21.4% of the respondents had contracted COVID-19. There was also a reduction in the number of observers to be deployed because they are usually deployed in pairs which makes data collection easier, and this improves the quality of the data. Moreover, deploying fisheries observers in pairs is necessary for corroboration of statements in case a violation arises and to help each other when sampling. Before the COVID-19 pandemic observers were deployed singular (one observer per fishing vessel in most cases), they would then get assistance from the fishers while on board fishing vessels e.g., to handle the fish while sampling or carry sampling equipment, although they are still deployed singular, they receive limited assistance from the crew because observers and the crew must observe social distancing. Usually, fishers and observers work closely to assist each other but this is now difficult because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Observers stay longer onshore, which implies less at-sea observation and biological data collection before they can be deployed again. Few observers are deployed because at a given time, some observers are in quarantine facilities, and some are not deployed because they must wait for vessel disinfections.

3.4. Possible impacts of COVID-19 on fisheries catches

The most fisheries catches were landed in 2018 (516,186 metric tonnes (mt)), while the least catches were landed in 2020 (340,350 mt). There was a reduction in total catches from 2018 to 2019 and there was a further decline in 2020 which is about 30% less than what was harvested in 2019. However, total landed catches increased in 2021 (Fig. 5).

Fig. 5.

Fig. 5

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The total catches of the marine resources harvested off Namibia through the crab fishery, hake longline, hake trawling, line fishery, lobster fishery, monkfish fishery, midwater trawling, and large pelagic fishery between 2018 and 2021.

3.5. Lessons learned from COVID-19 and suggestions to curb the spread of COVID-19

About 14.2% of the participants claimed that they have no information about COVID-19, 16.8% of participants have basic information about COVID-19 and 69.0% claimed they had detailed information about COVID-19, how it spreads and what can be done to limit its spread. When asked about the important lessons from the pandemic, observers revealed that they learned to spend their money wisely, to be hygienic, and to be up to date with technology. The interviewed observers also stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has also exposed how sensitive the fishing industry is and can easily shut down when threatened by a pandemic.

Observers perceive that COVID-19 has also positively impacted their activities. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, observers are aware of various technologies such as zoom meetings. Observers also stated that they are now aware of the options to remotely have meetings with their supervisors when on shore. COVID-19 served as an eye-opener to various aspects e.g., sampling equipment such as measuring boards should be provided onboard the fishing vessels. If each fishing vessel is fitted with a measuring board, there would be no need to carry one measuring board from one fishing vessel to another thereby reducing risks of cross-contamination. On a personal level, observers learned more about hygiene, and they reported that they are now more responsible, able to save more money, socialise and drink less because of the curfew that was imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The interviewed observers feel that as a step to curb the spread of COVID-19 onboard the fishing vessels, all fishing companies should test all seagoing personnel for COVID-19 and keep them in quarantine facilities until deployed. Additionally, disinfection of the vessel after each trip was suggested as a possible action that every fishing company can adopt to curb the spread of COVID-19.

4. Discussion

To comprehend the observers’ perception of COVID-19 and identify its impacts on the at-sea observation of fishing activities, and biological data collection during commercial fishing, and to suggest ways to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on the activities of at sea-observations and data collection, data were collected from 31% of the Namibian observers. Male respondents in this study represented 76.2%, like most of the companies in the maritime sector, FOA is a male-dominated workplace with male employees accounting for 74% of total observers. Additionally, women in the maritime sector represent only 2% of the workforce globally (Arulnayagam, 2020). This survey’s participants (observers) are long-serving employees, implying an aging workforce (mean age = 45.6 years) who are likely to have compromised immune systems and hence might be more at risk of contracting COVID-19 (British Society for Immunology, 2020). Most survey participants perceived the vessel messrooms (45.7%) as the riskiest places to contract COVID-19, followed by the vessel processing factories (25.7%). The total fishing trips have fluctuated with 2020 reporting the lowest number of fishing trips. Additionally, the total fisheries catches have been showing a downward trend with 2020 registering the lowest total catches.

4.1. Impacts of COVID-19 on at-sea observation and sampling

The interviews which yielded primary data for this study commenced in March 2021, 12 months after the first case of COVID-19 was registered in Namibia in March 2020. Results indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted both the observation and biological data collection on commercial fishing vessels. The reduction in workforce (both observers and fishers) has also negatively impacted at-sea observation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was always a reduced workforce of observers, because they had to spend time in quarantine, recuperating from COVID-19 infection, and on shore (undeployed) while they wait for vessels to be disinfected. There is currently no alternative such as Electronic Monitoring (EM) systems to collect data or monitor fishing activities onboard, in the absence of observers on board the fishing vessels or to supplement the observers’ work. EM refers to tools such as a central computer connected to onboard gear sensors, and onboard video cameras that allow authorities to monitor and record a vessel’s activities remotely (Cahalan and Faunce, 2020). EM can also be used post-COVID-19, on vessels where there are no observers and to supplement observers’ work. In Namibia, vessels less than 20 m are exempted from carrying observers because they are deemed too small to accommodate observers. Deploying EM on these vessels could thus provide some fishing data on these vessels. Several observer programmes such as the North Pacific Observer Program (Cahalan and Faunce, 2020) already use EM to electronically monitor and quantify catches onboard. Globally, the Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) have gained momentum with the monitoring of international fisheries to improve and harmonise oversight (Ewell et al., 2020).

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused some observers to be on the same vessel for more than two consecutive trips, a practice that has been avoided (pre-COVID-19) because it has the potential to compromise the independence of the observers onboard the fishing vessels. On a large scale, the COVID-19 outbreak had a significant impact on the operation of regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs), resulting in the interruption of decision-making process (Haas and Davis, 2021). Although the drop in the observed fishing trip for 2020 to compare to 2019 is only 5% as shown in our results, the drop in the total fishing trip is more (28%). The Marine Resource Act, Act No. 27 of 2000 (MFMR, 2000) mandates each licensed fishing vessel to have an observer onboard, a reduction in observer coverage contravenes this act. The fewer fishing activities recorded in 2020 as compared to 2019, and further corroborated by the reduction in the total fisheries catches landed in 2020 (Fig. 5) suggest possible impacts of COVID-19. The Namibian fishing industry had a three-week lockdown due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020, following the Namibian fisheries and marine resources Executive Directors’ letter (dated 27 March 2021) informing fishing companies that no fishing vessel would be allowed to return to sea after offloading catches.

4.2. Has COVID-19 impacted the observer’ work at sea?

Although a substantial percentage (40%) of respondents were neutral, neither comfortable nor uncomfortable with working at sea during COVID-19, the respondents (23.8%) that were completely uncomfortable working at sea during the COVID-19 pandemic felt the chance of contracting the virus was higher at sea than onshore. Observers stated that although they were uncomfortable working at sea during the COVID-19 pandemic they were prepared to continue to observe fishing activities “otherwise the fishers will violate fishing laws in our absence”. This is not far-fetched because Snyder and Erbaugh (2020) have shown an increase in discard and under-reporting of discards when there are no observers deployed onboard the fishing vessels. Additionally, observers felt that to keep their jobs, they needed to be deployed on fishing vessels, despite the prevailing conditions. Nineteen percent of the respondents were completely unable to complete their work satisfactorily due to social distancing, which is almost impractical, as observers share messrooms, bathrooms, cabins, and processing factories. Some observers stated that communication onboard the vessel has been negatively impacted because in addition to noise from waves and the engine sound, this is exacerbated by social distancing. When some vessel factory managers prohibit the observers from handling the fish for sampling (because of the fear of cross-contamination), it limits the collection of biological data. A reduction in data collection as a direct impact of COVID-19 has been expressed by Santora et al. (2021) with regards to data collected during marine fishery and ecosystem surveys.

4.3. Perceptions of the impacts of COVID-19 on fisheries observers

Several measures were adopted to reduce COVID-19 infections onboard fishing vessels, operating in the Namibian waters (Namibian Hake Association, 2020). Before boarding the vessels, observers and fishers are tested for COVID-19 and quarantined for 7 – 14 days, while vessels are disinfected at least after every fishing trip. If the observers and fishers test negative for COVID-19, they can board the fishing vessels (Namibian Hake Association, 2020). Additionally, observers and crew are expected to wear masks and disinfect their hands regularly onboard the fishing vessels. However, the fishing vessels have confined environments and social distancing (of 1 m apart) is almost impractical. On board, observers share cabins, bathrooms and messrooms with the fishers and other personnel. Observers are also required to have access to the bridge and the processing factory to observe fishing activities and to collect data. Moreover, observers work in proximity with fishers when they are sampling. The messrooms and the vessel processing factories, are perceived as the riskiest places of infection to contract COVID-19, because of aggregation of fishers during meals. At times there can be 30 fishers in a messroom of about 9 m2, according to observers, and social distancing is mostly impractical, and this has exacerbated the risk of contracting COVID-19. As a result, observers will be hesitant to have their meals with the rest of the fishers, opting to have their meals whilst the fishers are back in the factory. The fact that the fishers are unsupervised may compromise the observers’ functions. Anything can happen ranging from dumping, littering or other contraventions of legislations.

All the participants (21.4%) who had contracted COVID-19 stated that they might have contracted the virus onboard the fishing vessels. Cabins are also a concern. It has been recommended that seafarers be allocated a single cabin as a preventative measure for communicable diseases (Oldenburg et al., 2010), however, this might be impractical. Many observers stated that they avoid certain places, mostly the factory and bridge on the vessel to reduce the chance of contracting the virus. Avoiding some places e.g., bridges can lead to poor monitoring and observations of fishing activities. This has the potential to misinform fisheries management decisions, for instance, if some data are omitted on the datasheets because observers avoided the wheelhouse. The data collected by observers during the COVID-19 pandemic might be compromised. Globally, the efficiency of observer programmes is affected by various aspects including the educational background of observers, language proficiency, data quality, training costs, shortage of available observers, and safety of observers at sea (Porter, 2010, Harder and Vaze, 2019, Wang and Di Cosimo, 2019, Ewell et al., 2020). These aspects may have the potential to compromise the quality of data collected by observers. Moreover, the hake longline fishery was perceived as the riskiest fishery where observers were likely to contract COVID-19. “Hake longline vessels are breeding sites for COVID-19”, stated one observer when describing the hake longline fishery. This is probably because the vessels in this fishery are small (30 m long on average), up to eight people share a cabin, and they mostly have more personnel onboard at any given time. For vessel management decision-making, it might be beneficial to reduce the crew number on these small vessels.

4.4. Possible impacts of COVID-19 on fisheries catches

There was a reduction in total catches from 2018 to 2021 and there was a further decrease in 2020 which is about 30% less than what was harvested in 2019. It is difficult to relate this reduction to COVID-19. However, this may be the impact because there was three weeks closure of the fishing industry in March 2020, which might have translated into an economic loss in the fishing sector as the fishing industry were not operating for three weeks. On 17 April 2020, the Namibian government issued amended regulations – ‘Amendment of State of Emergency COVID-19’ (Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia, 2020). The NSA Annual National Account report for 2020 (NSA, 2020) indicated that the GDP contribution from fisheries concentrated from 4.0% in 2019 to 3.9% in 2020. Although in general 5 to 7.5 billion Namibia dollars were estimated as a loss in the overall GDP owing to the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown measures on the various sectors in the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries (Julius et al., 2020), the exact economic loss of COVID-19 in the Namibian fishing sector is not studied. The reduction in the fisheries total catches and the GDP contributions in 2020 is arguably a result of COVID-19 (NSA, 2020). The three weeks closure of the Namibian fishing industry and the temporary ban on exports of fish and fishery products are some of the factors which might have directly contributed to the reduction in the fisheries contribution to the country’s GDP in 2020. Internationally, COVID-19 was reported to have negatively impacted the national economies, for instance a reduction in fisheries catches in both Cameroon and Liberia was also noted which was attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic (Nyiawung et al., 2021). However, it is surprising that in 2021 fisheries catches went up probably reflecting a recovery from the pandemic and better adaptation mechanisms in the fishing industry in 2021, as compared to 2020. Additionally, there was no closure in the fishing industry in 2021 as in 2020.

4.5. Important lessons of COVID-19 and preparations for future pandemics

With one COVID-19 related death of an observer reported in 2020 (Nchabo Sinvula – HR assistant at FOA – Pers. Comm. June 2021), the FOA seems to be relatively well buffered for pandemics such as this. Additionally, there was no drastic reduction in the number of observed fishing trips. Similarly, no employees were laid-off in the FOA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike other observer programmes which have been negatively affected, for example, in the Pacific, fisheries observations stopped for almost a year, as no observers were allowed on vessels due to COVID-19 related reasons (Bianca Haans. Per. comm. May 2021). Moreover, 21.4% of the survey participants have contracted the virus before, and the chances of contracting COVID-19 are specifically high for observers due to the nature of their work (Oldenburg et al., 2010). Observers and fishers work in a confined environment and proximity. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been shown that respiratory illness is the most common cause of presumably communicable diseases aboard cargo ships (Schlaich et al., 2009, Oldenburg et al., 2010).

Hu (2020) and Ebinger and Willems (2020) described the COVID-19 pandemic as a crisis that has also presented opportunities. Observers who participated in this study listed that COVID-19 has also positively impacted their activities, for instance some observers opted to purchase laptops and create personal email addresses to access information that they could not access because of restrictions in office meetings. Pre-COVID-19, most observers did not see a need to own a laptop as they would physically visit the office to obtain information they required. Some observers indicated that they learned how to participate in virtual meetings. Observers indicated that the use of reusable breathalysers to test for alcohol and drugs might be contributing to the spread of COVID-19. As a mitigation measure, fishing operations should rather use disposable breathalysers. This revelation indicates that there are precious lessons to be learned. Observers need to be trained to keep up with the new communication technologies, for instance, to be able to host and attend virtual meetings such as Zoom. Additionally, sampling equipment e.g., fishing vessels should incorporate inbuilt, electronic measuring boards, this would alleviate cross-contamination and at the same time reduce the inconveniences of observers having to carry sampling equipment from one fishing vessel to another. Only 32.5% of the participants felt that FOA gave adequate COVID-19 information and related training, however, they still think that more COVID-19 awareness campaigns to educate them on how to reduce the spread of COVID-19 can be beneficial.

5. Conclusions and recommendations

A significant reduction in the number of fishing trips made in 2020 was noted, similarly, the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced the trips covered by observers. COVID-19 has also altered operation activities of the FOA, such as no face-to-face meetings, debriefings, and training. When observers are not trained on the type of data they are required to collect, this has implications on the scientific advice and stock assessment of various marine species, by for example collecting inaccurate data which is used in the stock assessment models. As a recommendation, the FOA should consider the introduction of EM systems that would complement the work of observers in case of pandemics that may threaten their deployment on fishing vessels and to supplement observers’ efforts. Additionally, the FOA needs to engage in rigorous campaigns to provide more information on COVID-19. As a strong suggestion, disinfection of the vessel after each trip is a possible action that every fishing company can take to curb the spread of COVID-19. The fishing vessel has many areas that are congested, e.g., messroom and factory. As a recommendation for fishing vessel management, the fishers and observers allowed in a messroom during mealtimes should be limited, to allow social distancing. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) need to be instituted at the FOA directing management and supervisors on preventative measures to mitigate COVID-19 on fisheries observers. For instance, SOP should include regular disinfection (weekly) protocols for the offices and operation spaces at FOA. The same SOPs must be extended to the fishing vessels e.g., regular disinfection of mess rooms, considering that fisheries observers are deployed on such vessels. FOA must ensure that all fishing vessels requesting observers must produce a certificate of disinfection of the vessel and that all fishers tested negative for COVID-19 before embarking on the vessel. Observers should be encouraged to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and to adhere to measures put in place. This study will contribute to efforts aimed at reviving similar sectors severely hit by COVID-19 such as the tourism sector especially when it comes to boat cruises. The fisheries catches were lowest in 2020, possibly indicating the negative impacts of COVID-19 on the fishing sector. However, to fully understand the extent of this pandemic on the fishery sector, a comprehensive economic review of the impact of COVID-19 throughout the various fisheries is needed.

Although English is the official language in Namibia, some observers were not fluent in this language, thereby possibly creating a language barrier during the interviews. In future, the interviews involving observers should be conducted in various vernacular languages to limit language barriers. Observers and the at-sea observations represent an under researched topic, thus, this study brings us a step closer to comprehend at-sea monitoring and observation. Furthermore, this study has the potential to enable a greater recognition of the observers who significantly contribute to efforts aimed at sustainable management and utilisation of marine resources. The suggestions made here can upgrade the activities of FOA and buffer the observer programmes against future pandemics.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Victoria Ndinelago Erasmus: Conceptualization, Contacted interviews, Data collection, Original draft, Writing – review & editing. Vasana Tutjavi: Literature review, Review and editing, Discussion on international observer programmes. Abisai Konstantinus: Manuscript review, Editing, Methodology. Toivo Uahengo: Secondary data provision, Verification of national statistics and editing. Stanley Ndara: Editing, Conclusion, Supervision.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgements

We thank all fisheries observers who participated in our survey, and Control fisheries observers from FOA, for taking part in the pilot study. We also thank Bianca Haas and Richard Nyiawung for assisting with the editing of the first draft of this paper.

Data availability

The authors do not have permission to share data.

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Data Availability Statement

The authors do not have permission to share data.

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