THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON TRAWING BOAT OPERATORS IN TANAH MERAH, SANDAKAN: ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Trawl boat activity is one of the activities under the field of fisheries in Malaysia. It involves catching marine life to meet the needs of seafood in the market. It is a very important industry because fishing activity is the first sub-sector that contributes to the increase of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, the existence of the COVID-19 pandemic has become a big challenge for the fisheries sector not only in Malaysia but also in foreign countries. Therefore, this study focuses on issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic with the activities of trawler companies among entrepreneurs, namely fishermen in Sandakan. This study was conducted to identify how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted trawler operators. This study uses a qualitative approach which involves in-depth interviews with several informants who are trawler operators in Sandakan. The findings of the study show that the impact of the pandemic experienced by trawler operators in Tanah Merah, Sandakan is significant and directly involving economic survival and reduction of workers. In conclusion, although restrictions on the fishing sector during the pandemic period are not too long, the difficulties especially in terms of economic survival are still felt by trawler operators in Tanah Merah, Sandakan. This point can be proven through the experience throughout the pandemic period expressed by trawler operators.