Impacts of COVID-19 on the Aquatic Environment and Implications on Aquatic Food Production

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), resulted in ecological changes of aquatic ecosystems, affected the aquatic food supply chain, and disrupted the socio-economy of global populations. Due to reduced human activities during the pandemic, the aquatic environment was reported to improve its water quality, wild fishery stocks, and biodiversity. However, the sudden surge of plastics and biomedical wastes during the COVID-19 pandemic masked the positive impacts and increased the risks of aquatic pollution, especially microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and disinfectants. The transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from wastewater treatment plants to natural water bodies could have serious impacts on the environment and human health, especially in developing countries with poor waste treatment facilities. The presence and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in human excreta, wastewaters, and sludge and its transmission to aquatic ecosystems could have negative impacts on fisheries and aquaculture industries, which have direct implications on food safety and security. COVID-19 pandemic-related environmental pollution showed a high risk to aquatic food security and human health. This paper reviews the impacts of COVID-19, both positive and negative, and assesses the causes and consequences of anthropogenic activities that can be managed through effective regulation and management of eco-resources for the revival of biodiversity, ecosystem health, and sustainable aquatic food production.

RETRACTED: Advantage of Species Diversification to Facilitate Sustainable Development of Aquaculture Sector

“…Despite the existing COVID-19 pandemic's prolonged negative impact on the global fish economy [236], the aquaculture industry can be expected to thrive and play a significantly important role in promoting socio-economic development [237]. This sector is expected to continue supporting rural stakeholders' livelihoods in several developing countries [238].…”

The stakeholder's perception of socio-economic impacts generated by COVID-19 pandemic within the Italian aquaculture systems

“…Such a trend is in line with the estimates resulted by the FAO's Initial assessment ( FAO, 2020a ) reporting the magnitude of impacts of COVID-19 on aquaculture from the perspective of the 12 secretariats of important organizations worldwide and with the most recent literature showing that significant issues raise at different levels across the supply chain worldwide ( Belton et al, 2021 ; Jamwal and Phulia, 2021 ; Love et al, 2021 ; Trottet et al, 2021 ; White et al, 2021 ; Yusoff et al, 2021 ). Wide-ranging impacts have been reported along the four segments of the chain, i.e.…”

Water Quality and Water Pollution in Time of COVID-19: Positive and Negative Repercussions

“…Yusoff et al [48] evaluated the positive and negative impacts of pandemic on aquatic bodies. The COVID-19 lockdown resulted in an improvement of the water bodies' quality, wild angling capital and biodiversity; in the reduction of macroplastic concentration, chlorophyll a (Chl-a), phytoplankton and nitrogen in the Indian coastal area [48]; and in a turbidity decline in Wuhan lakes (China) and Malaysian waters. Water quality improvement has been seen in the Chinese rivers, estuaries and seas, and in the Morocco's estuarine and coastal waters.…”

“…The negative repercussions consisted of the escalating water contamination with microplastics, pharmaceuticals and disinfectants, and with the new coronavirus from the sewage treatment plants, mainly from hospitals, which may have important effects on the environment and human health. Hospital wastewaters should be treated efficiently to avoid the virus dissemination [48].…”