This document is the final report on the preliminary investigation of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aquaculture industry in China with a case study of channel catfish farming sector in Hubei Province and tilapia farming sector in Guangdong Province. The investigation was jointly implemented and funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Freshwater Fisheries Research Centre of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences (FFRC). The FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Division (NFI) provided technical support, while the FFRC research team was responsible for: conducting the field questionnaire survey; collecting of secondhand data and information; consulting relevant experts and institutions; analyzing data and information; and drafting the report. The Responsible Officers (ROs) adopted a flexible work method by: holding virtual meetings; supporting the desk study; assisting with the questionnaire design preparation; data analysis; and report preparation. The result of the investigation and survey was presented at the NFI-seminar in December 2020. Comments and recommendations on further improvements to be made were taken into account by the ROs and the FFRC team and were incorporated in both the draft and final report.  

The investigation could not be completed without the strong support from NFI and FFRC. Great thanks are extended to Mr Xu Pao and Mr Matthias Halwart for allocating needed resources and overall guidance towards the study. Colleagues in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Resilience Team are acknowledged for sharing the “Best practices for developing surveys and questionnaires on the impacts of COVID-19 on fisheries and aquaculture”, which provided a good reference point for the design of the questionnaires. We would like to acknowledge Mr Matthias Halwart, Mr Lionel Dabbadie, Mr Rodrigo Roubach, Mr Lansley Jonathan and Ms Jennifer Gee for their comments and suggestions in refining the document. Special thanks are extended to Ms Teri Neer, Ms Lisa Falcone, Ms Nathalie Perisse and Ms Elisa Tarsi for their support in editing and formatting the document, and the publishing process.