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Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of global and domestic seafood markets. We examined the main impacts and responses of the small-scale fisheries (SSF) sector, and found that mitigation and preparedness strategies should be prioritised to boost resilience in SSF. We provide five policy options and considerations: (1) improving access to insurance and financial services; (2) strengthening local and regional markets and supporting infrastructure; (3) recognising fisheries as an essential service; (4) integrating disaster risk management into fisheries management systems; and (5) investing in Indigenous and locally-led fisheries management. Response and recovery measures need to explicitly build strategies to maintain or boost inclusion and equity in SSF.

The term “blue justice” was coined in 2018 during the 3rd World Small-Scale Fisheries Congress. Since then, academic engagement with the concept has grown rapidly. This article reviews 5 years of blue justice scholarship and synthesizes some of the key perspectives, developments, and gaps. We then connect this literature to wider relevant debates by reviewing two key areas of research – first on blue injustices and second on grassroots resistance to these injustices. Much of the early scholarship on blue justice focused on injustices experienced by small-scale fishers in the context of the blue economy. In contrast, more recent writing and the empirical cases reviewed here suggest that intersecting forms of oppression render certain coastal individuals and groups vulnerable to blue injustices. These developments signal an expansion of the blue justice literature to a broader set of affected groups and underlying causes of injustice. Our review also suggests that while grassroots resistance efforts led by coastal communities have successfully stopped unfair exposure to environmental harms, preserved their livelihoods and ways of life, defended their culture and customary rights, renegotiated power distributions, and proposed alternative futures, these efforts have been underemphasized in the blue justice scholarship, and from marine and coastal literature more broadly. We conclude with some suggestions for understanding and supporting blue justice now and into the future.

Oil spills generate negative ecological, societal, economic, and public health impacts, and require rapid response to contain and mitigate damages. Prompt and effective emergency management of acute events like oil spills is highly dependent on the social, institutional, and ecological context. In August 2020, the wreckage of the MV Wakashio spilled 1000 tonnes of fuel oil along an ecologically sensitive coastline in Pointe d’Esny, Mauritius. In October 2021, an offshore pipeline split and released 78 tonnes of crude oil off the coast of Huntington Beach in California. We compare responses among three sets of stakeholders (government, non-governmental organizations, and local residents) during the first 10 days of both oil spills, which also occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Mauritius, unfavorable weather conditions and COVID-19-related border closures that delayed international support impeded government action, creating a leadership and trust vacuum among residents regarding the immediate cleanup response. This perceived gap was subsequently complemented by NGOs coordinating improvised artisanal boom production and local volunteer cleanup efforts, with limited protection or public health training. By contrast, prompt state and local government intervention in Huntington Beach created a clear chain of command with NGOs and residents deferring to official guidance. In both cases, the oil spills created new policy opportunities to improve emergency management plans and reduce future risks. Our results demonstrate the influence of prior local expertise in managing earlier disasters and resources on governmental and organizational capacity. Incorporating and ensuring on-the-ground disaster expertise in response activities improves government-led crisis response, subsequently protecting ecosystems and residents. Effective multi-level crisis response helps address a range of environmental and social justice concerns related to negative impacts of spills on local communities. Our study discusses how learnings from disaster management can reinforce social-ecological resilience in coastal communities dealing with increasing anthropogenic stressors.

Abstract Mauritius is reported to have the highest marine species endemism in the Western Indian Ocean faunal Province but the status of these species has not been evaluated. To address this knowledge gap, 119 reef sites were sampled to evaluate populations of 16 species of rare and endemic reef fish and corals using scuba‐based surveys conducted by citizen scientists and marine science professionals. Additionally, we interviewed ~1,000 households in 27 coastal villages to determine their perceptions of the environmental concerns and rare and endemic marine species. In general, population numbers of both studied corals and fish were low and distributions were patchy, with little indication that the fisheries management zones were protecting these species. The Mauritian gregory and Mauritian anemonefish were the most abundant species. The Mauritian and Creole damselfishes, which are range‐restricted Mascarene endemics, were not observed and potentially extinct. Endemic fish and coral population numbers were higher on the leeward than windward side of the island. The leeward side has higher tourism use and conservation activities that could promote endemic conservation. Environmental concerns of interviewees were high but varied by district and their socioeconomic contexts. Respondents showed an overall concern for the environment and agreed that endemic and rare species had a right to survive. Nevertheless, these rare and endemic coral reef species are threatened by isolation and habitat loss combined with rapid climate and human resource use change. National and district‐specific plans of actions could help to secure their futures.