The impact of Covid-19 pandemic on artisanal fishery sector, and Coastal fishing communities in The Gambia

Abstract

The Objective of the article is to comprehend the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the artisanal fishery sector, and Coastal fishing communities in The Gambia. We carry out qualitative research with a structural questionnaire in which we interviewed selected fish men in the coastal area in the Gambia. The study used a simple random sampling technique, in which from the target population of 6000 people, we selected 384 people randomly as our sample size using the “Yaro Yamane Statistical Formula". The statistical methods used in this study are descriptive statistics, correlation, and Ordinary Least Square (OLS) Method for the analysis. There is a weak negative correlation between the revenue generated from fishing and the management level (correlation coefficient of -0.3561). Despite the covid-19 pandemic, there exists a strong positive correlation between demand for the fish product in the domestic market and revenue generated from fishing (correlation coefficient of 0.7843). Therefore, policymakers should look at the management of fishing to improve it and try to establish a good local market for fishermen to sell their fish products.