Impacts of COVID-19 on the Australian Seafood Industry: Extending the assessment to prepare for uncertain futures

In March 2021 the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) published an initial rapid assessment of the impacts of COVID-19 on the Australian Seafood Industry for the period January - June 2020. The study considered direct and indirect effects of disruption to seafood production, supply chains and markets caused by the initial period of the pandemic, and the availability of data to support rapid assessment in such conditions. This project aims to address gaps in the information through a more comprehensive follow-up impact assessment report. The report will be used to develop a guideline for rapid assessment of the economic and social effects of systemic risks (i.e. large-scale or multi-level) to fisheries and aquaculture, to prepare for the future. This will include assessment of emerging medium-term impacts (such as changes in the purchasing behaviour of Australian consumers, structural effects in labour markets and export-oriented sectors, effects of alterations in tourism patterns); and the interactions with non-COVID-19 impacts (such as trade tensions affecting exports).