The aim of this paper is to discuss eco-labels for fish products, which are a useful tool to improve both seafood markets and strategies for sustainability management. In this study, 560 consumer-surveys were conducted in selected towns in northern and southern Italy. Both probit and linear regression modeling were used to measure consumers’ perception and willingness to pay for anchovy eco-labels. Italian hypermarket consumers demonstrated attention to environmental features as well as to eco-products, at times, independent of income. The results of this study show that willingness to pay relates to gender, family situation, mass communication, environmental features, angler community, and store, along with information from eco-labels. Specifically, females appeared highly responsive to seafood eco-labels, and their preferences were informed by environmental aspects along with a strong intrinsic motivation to protect marine habitats. According to our analysis, seafood eco-labels could increase the consumers’ willingness to pay between 16%–24% more for the product. Given that consumers’ willingness to pay can reveal a new form of an “ecosystem approach to fishery management”, there is a high chance that premium prices could become a tool for sustainable resource management.

In the last two decades, eco-labeled seafood has been becoming an instrument of sustainability directed towards consumers, addressing a market-based incentive for better management of fisheries. In this context, several studies across the countries have been conducted about how much consumers are willing to pay for fish caught by certifiably sustainable fishing activities. In this direction, the aim of this study was to systematize the available information about the willingness-topay (WTP) more for eco-labeled wild seafood. Therefore, only papers published on ISI journals were searched on "Web of Knowledge" and "SciVerse Scopus" platforms, using the combinations of the following key words: seafood, ecolabel, willingness, WTP and premium. The results were organized considering the following variables: taxa, species' family, English name of the species, survey's country, data collection, brand and the WTP. A worldwide increasing interest on ecolabel seafood emerged clearly, empathizing the progressive affirmation of an eco-centrism vision, mainly in the developed countries.

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