Successive Disturbances Reveal Internal Strengths and External Barriers to Resilience Within Small-Scale Fishing Communities in the Bahamas

Research on resilience is increasingly important for supporting communities affected by disturbances from a rapidly changing climate. An outstanding challenge is distinguishing factors that shape internal resilience from within communities versus external resilience from outside sources. Appreciating both is critical, particularly in small island developing states, where successive disturbances threaten food systems and livelihoods. We interviewed 42 participants from nine small-scale fishing communities in The Bahamas to document behavioral responses to a Category 5 hurricane followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative data were analyzed to identify factors of internal and external resilience. Notably, we found (1) examples of communities adapting through fishery diversification and increased food sovereignty and (2) inequities in aid distribution and market changes that may hinder recovery. Integrating these findings with a formal literature review allowed us to develop a set of measures to strengthen resilience in coastal communities facing ongoing environmental change.