Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
COVID-19, a novel coronavirus, sparked a worldwide pandemic in 2019. It has led a serious threat to human life and has a significant negative impact on livelihoods and food security, either directly or indirectly. As of 26 July 2023, rolling data indicate that 768,560,727 people have been infected with COVID-19, of which 6,952,522 deaths have been reported to the World Health Organization. The aim of this review is to comprehensively assess the multifaceted impact of COVID-19 on the aquatic environment, with a specific focus on elucidating it's implications for fisheries. A literature review examined COVID-19's impact on fisheries, exploring this emerging academic field by meticulously searching terms in reputable journal databases. The sudden increase in plastics and medical trash during the COVID-19 pandemic, on the other hand, disguised the positive effects and continued to increase the risks of river pollution, particularly micro plastics, medical products, and antiseptics. Drugs used during pandemics in ecological systems and their potential effects of COVID-19 on aquatic animals and human health have been updated. This review documents the potential effects of COVID-19 on the fishery environment, with a special focus on fisheries and aquaculture. It also highlights improvements in aquatic biodiversity resulting from movement restrictions, reduced illegal fishing, and the closure of industries. Besides, restoration strategies for revival of aquatic biodiversity, ecosystem health, and sustainable fisheries food production through effective regulation and eco-resources have been thoroughly discussed. In conclusion, the COVID-19 lockdown brought dual effects on the environment, yielding benefits such as reduced pollution and aquatic resource recovery but also detrimentally impacting small-scale fisheries, causing job losses. The pandemic's overall threat persists, particularly in developing nations, overshadowing positive impacts and posing unprecedented global challenges.
Prasad et al. (Sat,) studied this question.