Social license and consumer perceptions of farm-raised fish

Are U.S. consumers willing to pay more by the lake? An analysis of preferences for Great Lakes region fish

“…Most of this growth can be attributed to an increase in the consumption of fresh and frozen seafood, while per capita consumption of canned and cured seafood products held constant (National Marine Fisheries Service, 2021). With increasing frequency, consumers choose seafood to meet their dietary needs based on the abundance of omega-3 fatty acids, low fat content, and high protein content it affords (Averbook, 2018;de Boer et al, 2020;Runge et al, 2021). Consumer preferences and consumption trends ultimately reflect individual definitions of quality, which in turn is a multidimensional attribute constructed from perceptions of a combination of traits (Wirth et al, 2011).…”

“…Other studies focus on a different selection of seafood products and species (Brayden et al, 2018;Bouchard et al, 2021;Tian et al 2021), different regions (Printezis et al, 2019;Bouchard et al, 2021), only one state (Quagrainie et al, 2008;Tian et al 2021), or only one city (Fonner and Sylvia, 2015). Further, many of these studies limit their analysis to products of aquaculture alone (Quagrainie et al, 2008;Runge et al, 2021). Specifically, our analysis fills a knowledge gap concerning NCR and national WTP for increasingly popular cool-and cold-water fish in the domestic markets.…”

Fish Tales: How Narrative Modality, Emotion, and Transportation Influence Support for Sustainable Aquaculture

“…While unfamiliar to many Americans (Rickard et al, 2020; Runge et al, 2021), aquaculture, or the production of finfish, shellfish, and sea vegetables in water environments, contributes more than 50% of all seafood consumed globally (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2020). Because the United States relies heavily on importing seafood, aquaculture advocates suggest that increasing domestic production can both minimize the “seafood trade deficit” (NOAA, 2016) and reduce pressure on wild fisheries (Hixon, 2014); however, certain types of aquaculture production, such as raising salmon in ocean net pens, have raised environmental and human health concerns, including elevated levels of pesticides and heavy metals in effluent runoff and harvested fish (Diana, 2009; Hites et al, 2004; Schlag, 2010).…”

“…That is, decisions about how and where to grow seafood (and which kind(s) of seafood) inherently involve value-laden decisions at the individual, community, and societal levels (Hanes, 2018; Johnson & Hanes, 2017). At the same time, the topic is novel to many Americans, suggesting that perceptions of its risks and benefits may stem more from evaluation of information sources, rather than knowledge of “objective” risk (Rickard et al, 2020; Runge et al, 2021). For these reasons, we see a unique opportunity to examine narrative effects in this context.…”

“…Finally, this project represents a small piece of a large, federally funded, transdisciplinary effort related to supporting sustainable marine aquaculture development in a coastal U.S. state (Johnson et al, 2019). While our goal in this study was to answer questions about the effects of narrative format on attitudinal and behavior change, other work has highlighted how support for local aquaculture development may hinge on, for instance, how communities value historic and present uses of the coast (Johnson & Hanes, 2019), or the effects of trust or social license (Runge et al, 2021). Whether sustainable aquaculture should be pursued by such communities as a solution for improving environmental and food security issues is a critical question worthy of community deliberation but is beyond the scope of this article.…”