Background
As the worlds population grows, so too does the demand
for seafood. However, production from capture
fisheries is finite, with the majority now assessed as
fully, or over, exploited. Demand for seafood has therefore
driven the rapid growth of the aquaculture industry.
Aquaculture (farming and husbandry of finfish and
other aquatic organisms such as crustaceans, molluscs
and aquatic plants) now provides approximately
half of the seafood eaten and is the fastest growing food
production sector worldwide.
Public and consumer acceptance of aquaculture will
depend upon information, awareness and concern. The
media plays an important role in shaping public opinion,
and aquaculture has been criticised over various
sustainability concerns, e.g.
- Environmental concerns associated with use of reduction fishery products in aquafeeds, habitat modifications, eutrophication, escapees, disease transfer to wild fish, chemotherapeutant discharges and antibiotic resistant bacteria;
- Animal welfare concerns associated with diseases and parasites, injuries, food deprivation; stress from poor water quality, transportation, handling, confinement, inappropriate stocking densities and harvesting;
- Human health concerns related to algal toxins and chemotherapeutant residues.
Government regulations and codes of practice have
been introduced to mitigate such concerns. Indeed, the
Scottish salmon industry is considered tightly regulated
by 10 statutory bodies, more than 60 pieces of legislation,
43 European directives, 3 European regulations
and 12 European Commission decisions (Seafish, 2011).
Eco-labels are increasingly being introduced to help
consumers differentiate products that are more environmentally-
friendly and socially-responsible. Within
seafood, eco-labels have been introduced to encourage
sustainable fishing practices for wild fish, e.g. the
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) label. Eco-labels are
also being introduced for aquaculture products, e.g. Aquaculture
Stewardship Council (ASC), Freedom Foods,
Friend of the Sea and Global Aquaculture Alliance.
This article describes a questionnaire survey aimed
at determining the UK publics purchasing behaviour
for seafood and attitudes to aquaculture, which will be
important to the acceptance and development of the
industry.
Methods
A questionnaire of 11 questions was developed to gauge
the knowledge and behaviour of the UK public on the
purchasing of seafood and the aquaculture industry.
The survey was conducted ethically, with the questionnaire
being approved by the UWE RAGS system, and
all participants were informed of its use and remained
anonymous.
The questionnaire was deliberately kept short and
simple, to make completion quick and easy and thereby
avoid deterring participants. The first two demographic
questions (education and age) were followed by eight
questions on seafood purchasing habits and knowledge
of aquaculture which simply required selection from
categories. A final open question invited comments on
aquaculture.
Questionnaires were distributed through friends,
family, co-workers, at exercise classes, and via the social
media website Facebook. Prospective participants
could also respond through an on-line version (the
SurveyMonkey website). Returned paper questionnaires
were entered into SurveyMonkey for collation with the
on-line responses.
Results
A total of 145 UK residents responded to the survey between January and March 2012. Although no geographic information was collected, most of the respondents were located around Bristol and London. Participants were recorded in all age classes (18-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51- 60, 61-70, 71-80, ?81), although the youngest age group dominated (56%) and numbers declined markedly in the older age groups. Participants reflected all levels of education from no qualifications to Doctorate, with Further Education (25%) and Undergraduate Degree (41%) most prevalent. Responses to the eight categorical questions are tabulated.
Discussion
The origin (wild or farmed) of seafood seemed of little concern to many participants. Half of the participants expressed no preference for wild-caught or farmed seafood, and the majority (77%) had no idea that nearly half the seafood we consume is farmed. Open comments included:
- was surprised to learn how much seafood farming goes on
- either there isnt a lot of information about it or I
- dont take enough notice of whats going on
- Do producers/supermarkets have to state on packaging that it is farmed
These results and comments support previous assessments
indicating that aquaculture has a low public
profile (with many being oblivious to it) and that most
consumers have either a neutral or positive view of
aquaculture (FAO, 1999). A few people did comment
that wild-caught seafood sounds more attractive and
healthy and is a natural product free from any chemicals
which may be used in fish farming.
The majority (61%) of participants were aware that
aquaculture had been associated with adverse sustainability
issues. Interestingly, the overwhelming majority
of those respondents who preferentially selected
farmed seafood, acknowledged these associations.
Despite concerns about aquaculture, a high proportion
(69%) agreed that aquaculture could help reduce
fishing pressure on wild seafood stocks, and this idea
was reiterated in the open comments. One participant
did comment that aquaculture is unsustainable, usually
makes use of krill in the food supply for the farm,
krill is often harvested from the seas, destabilising the
ecosystem at a lower trophic level.
A previous 2002 survey of the Scottish publics attitudes
to general environmental issues in Scotland (Hinds et al., 2002) indicated little concern for the impacts of
fish farming: 66% of respondents were either not worried
at all or not very worried. However, when asked in a
more directed survey on attitudes to aquaculture in 2003
(Whitmarsh & Wattage, 2006), the Scottish public did
indicate that minimising environmental damage was of
high concern, receiving a majority vote of 39%.
No specific questions about the welfare of farmed
fish were asked in the present survey. The Eurobarometer
(2007) survey indicated that farmed fish welfare
is of little concern to most EU citizens: only 8% responded
that the current level of fish welfare needed
to be improved. Nevertheless, recent market research
(Solgaard & Yang, 2011) has shown a segment of Danish
consumers (females, with higher levels of education
and income) willing to pay extra for improved welfare
conditions for farmed fish.
In the present survey, 26% of respondents never
checked whether seafood purch ases came from a sustainable
source, and only 14% always checked. Individual
responses indicated that the regularity of checking
increased as more seafood was purchased. A notable
number of comments referred to a perceived lack of
labelling for aquaculture products, e.g.
- not enough information available to the publicIs there a certification for fish farming?
- I am not aware of any mark to indicate that farming or fishing is ethical. I would probably choose ethical sources over non-ethical if I was aware of any kitemark
- I have never seen commentary/detail regarding the source of the fish while in a restaurant
This indicates general awareness of eco-labels, but a
lack of knowledge on the certification of seafood. One
respondent did however praise Hughs Fish Fight
iphone App
Most respondents (76%) had not heard of the Marine
Stewardship Council (MSC) label; this is similar to a
previous 70% unfamiliar with the label recorded by
Potts et al. (2011). However, 79% of the participants who
were aware of the label did actively look for it when buying
seafood, which provides some optimism for aquaculture
eco-labels.
Summary
Governments and development agencies (national and international) generally view aquaculture in a good light: a means to increase food production, provide economic stability and supply jobs (FAO, 1999). This survey of UK consumers revealed that most were unfamiliar with the aquaculture industry and felt that little information on its sustainability is publicised. The majority of respondents were aware that aquaculture has been associated with sustainability concerns, but also thought that aquaculture could alleviate fishing pressure on wild stocks.
February 2013
