Marginality and Resilience Strategies in Coastal Fishing Villages During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the State of Yucatan, Mexico

Abstract

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities around the world implemented measures to reduce peoples’ mobility and to therefore reduce infections. Not all economic activities could take place remotely, however. In Mexico, the pandemic situation significantly affected fishing, despite its being declared an “essential” activity: reduced production and lower prices resulted from the inability to fish during confinement and the slowdown of international trade. This investigation focuses on the Mexican state of Yucatan, due to its being the largest producer of octopus and grouper and the third largest producer of lobster in the country (species of medium–high and high economic value and demand throughout the international marketplace). After the corresponding bibliographic review, the compilation of testimonies (between 2020 and 2021) and the analysis of information, the results reveal different strategies carried out by the coastal fishermen of Yucatan to face the adverse conditions created by the global health emergency and they demonstrate the important role of individual, family, and community resilience in the contexts of marginalisation.