The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2020

IPCC Special Report on the 
Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate
,
1
multiple climate-related hazards, including tropical 
cyclones, extreme sea levels, flooding and marine 
heatwaves, are increasing. Fishing and fish-farming 
communities and small islands (including small island 
developing States) are in the front line facing these 
changes. Since 1980, natural disasters have hit 
every region of the world with growing frequency 
and intensity. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk 
Reduction recognizes the crucial role of governments, 
United Nations agencies, and international and 
national organizations in reducing disaster risk, and 
FAO is responsible for the Sendai Framework’s target 
C-2: direct agricultural loss attributed to disaster. 
Between 2006 and 2016, the overall damage and loss 
to the fisheries sector from disasters amounted to more 
than USD 1.1 billion, which represents about 3 percent 
of all damage and loss in the agriculture sector.
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Disasters often significantly affect small-scale and 
artisanal fisheries. For example, in Mozambique in 
2019, cyclone Idai caused damage and loss 
amounting to about USD 20 million in the fisheries 
sector, including: damaged and destroyed vessels, 
engines and gear; infrastructural and environmental 
damage (e.g. mangroves); and loss of fishing days.
3
Each year, East African countries are among those 
experiencing the highest number of natural and human-
induced disasters in Africa. In addition to cyclones and 
storms, floods, landslides, drought and conflicts 
continuously undermine livelihoods in the region, often 
leading to prolonged humanitarian crises and 
emergencies. This is often the cause of internal 
displacement or even cross-border migration.
Proactive management of climate- and non-climate-
related risks requires sound pre- and post-disaster data. 
However, more often than not, such data are either 
lacking or incomplete. To bridge this gap, FAO has 
developed a corporate methodology
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to calculate 
damage and loss in the agriculture sector, together with 
a data collation questionnaire. The aim is to provide 
countries with the tools to build a strong national 
information system and conduct data-based analysis to 
develop successful and timely damage and loss 
assessments in the marine, inland and aquaculture 
subsectors. The tools are integral to a disaster risk 
reduction and adaptation response, as they show the 
economic value of fish and fisheries products and 
identify key value-chain stakeholders. Good-quality 
information on production and assets is essential for 
building both adaptation response programmes and 
national and regional resilience. 
BOX 20 
ADDRESSING EXTREME EVENTS: FAO’S DAMAGE AND LOSS METHODOLOGY
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Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 2019. 
IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate
, edited by H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, V. Masson-Delmotte, 
P. Zhai, M. Tignor, E. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Nicolai, A. Okem, J. Petzold, B. Rama & N.M. Weyer [online]. [Cited 10 December 2019]. www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/
uploads/sites/3/2019/12/SROCC_FullReport_FINAL.pdf
2
FAO. 2018. 
2017: The impact of disasters and crises on agriculture and food security
. Rome. 152 pp. (also available at www.fao.org/3/I8656EN/i8656en.pdf).
3
United Nations Development Programme. 2019. Mozambique Cyclone Idai Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA)DNA. In: 
UNDP 
[online]. [Cited 10 December 2019].
www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/crisis-prevention-and-recovery/mozambique-cyclone-idai-post-disaster-needs-assessment--pdna-dna.html