Assessing economic losses in artisanal fisheries from marine plastic pollution in coastal Ecuador and Peru

Abstract

This study quantifies the economic losses that artisanal fisheries of coastal Ecuador and Peru incur due to marine plastic debris incidents. This study stands as the pioneering effort of its kind within the Latin American region. We surveyed 1349 artisanal fishermen and found that the annual probability of encountering plastic debris was 49.7 % in Ecuador and 53.4 % in Peru for the 2021–2022 period. Among those encountering debris, 49.7 % of Ecuadorian fishermen and 34.1 % of Peruvian fishermen reported economic losses. For the two years under the study, the average loss per fisherman was US$569.01 in Ecuador and US$669.39 in Peru, accounting for 0.84 % of Ecuador's and 0.71 % of Peru's fishing GDP for the years 2021–2022. Econometric analysis shows a statically significant negative impact of plastic debris on fishing income, and a binary well-being variable measure for Ecuador. Moreover, we found that fishermen facing plastic debris have a higher probability of making income below the minimum wage for Ecuador and the pooled data.