The Covid-19 pandemic is having a dramatic impact on people’s health, jobs and livelihoods. The health and social measures taken by governments to ensure the wellbeing of their citizens will lead to massive socio-economic fallouts. The decisions and investments made now for the recovery of the economy will be decisive. While Covid-19 response measures may offer support for one year, a sustainable marine environment supports livelihoods for years to come.
The joint paper Setting the right safety net: A framework for fisheries support policies in response to Covid-19, and its 2-page Executive Summary, list ten principles that should be applied in the upcoming decisions on recovery measures to ensure they address the Covid-19 pandemic and aid the path towards a healthier fishing sector, public, and marine environment.
While some policies that have been publicly advocated for violate one or more of the principles, other policies offer promise and should be pursued with urgency.
With the climate and biodiversity crises as the setting, any policy proposal needs to answer the fundamental question: how does this policy allow us to build back better?
Covid-19 Blue Recovery Paper: 2-Page Executive Summary
Covid-19 Blue Recovery Paper: Full 16-page Briefing
See also: Turning the Tide on EU Seas with a Green Recovery