Mental Health in Fishing Communities: An Overview of Current Knowledge and Information Gaps for Fisheries

Fishing depends on unstable natural water resources and changing socioeconomic dynamics within and beyond the fishing environment. Changes in the aquatic and socioeconomic environments have effects on the physical and mental health of fishers and the sustainability of fisheries. This scoping review aimed to: a) identify the breadth of mental health aspects in fisheries literature, b) establish the geographic focus of fisheries mental health literature, and c) examine the factors responsible for the global disparity in fisheries mental health literature. Eighty-three mental health studies, dominated by research from Europe, North America, Africa, Latin America, Australia, and Asia, were noted from over 7,452 fishing community health studies. The literature is lopsided towards the physical rather than the mental health of fishers. The paucity of mental health literature for fishers emanates from the complexity of assessing the mental health of a specific group, which encompasses confounding, associated, and risk factors. With prevailing climate change, economic uncertainty, and post-COVID-19 effects, mental resilience is important for the recovery and sustainability of fisheries. There is a need for the development and integration of fisheries-specific mental psychometrics into broader schematic health, scientific, and social well-being frameworks for fishing communities to enhance mental resilience to environmental, economic, and health challenges.