Analysis of COVID-19 impacts on surveyed West Coast and Alaskan commercial fishing operations during the first six months of the pandemic

This report conveys a preliminary stage of research intended to gain a better understanding of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on commercial fishing operations based on the West Coast and in Alaska. This work represents an important part of NOAA Fisheries’ mission, which upholds productive and sustainable fisheries, access to safe sources of seafood, conservation of protected resources and species, and healthy marine ecosystems. By examining the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on West Coast and Alaskan commercial fishing operations, these outreach and research efforts provide fishery managers, policy makers, scientists, and other stakeholders with initial information about the condition of a regional fishery altered by the impacts of a global pandemic and offer an initial baseline for evaluating pandemic impacts in the future. 2021 NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) Submitted Public Domain 2295