Cathy A. Roheim

Sustainability and Global Seafood

Tight coupling to ecosystems and dependence on common-pool resources threaten fisheries and aquaculture. Although seafood is the most highly traded food internationally, it is an often overlooked component of global food security. It provides essential local food, livelihoods, and export earnings. Although global capture fisheries production is unlikely to increase, aquaculture is growing considerably. Sustaining seafoods contributions to food security hinges on the ability of institutions, particularly in developing countries, to protect and improve ecosystem health in the face of increasing pressures from international trade.

Value of Brands and Other Attributes: Hedonic Analysis of Retail Frozen Fish in the UK

In the frozen processed seafood market, through branding, product forms, and portion sizes, retailers target certain segments of the market, such as families with children, singles, or value-conscious consumers. To investigate how segmented the UK retail frozen seafood market is, this study utilizes a hedonic pricing model applied to scanner data to determine the relative value of attributes such as species, national and private brands, package size, and product and process forms. The results have implications for the seafood supply chain, as retailers influence what products processors produce. They also contribute to the highly diverse demand patterns facing fishermen and aquaculture producers.

An Evaluation of Sustainable Seafood Guides: Implications for Environmental Groups and the Seafood Industry

Cathy A. Roheim is a professor in the Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics at the University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881 USA (email: crw@uri.edu). The author acknowledges funding from King’s Seafood Company and Rhode Island Sea Grant and assistance from Michelle Armsby, graduate research assistant and URI Sustainable Seafood Fellow, in the completion of this research. Thalassorama

CERTIFICATION OF SHRIMP AND SALMON FOR BEST AQUACULTURE PRACTICES: ASSESSING CONSUMER PREFERENCES IN RHODE ISLAND

This study uses a conjoint experiment to evaluate seafood consumers’ preferences for wild versus farmed seafood in Rhode Island, while providing an option for farmed products to be certified for best aquaculture practices, focusing upon salmon and shrimp. The definition for best aquaculture practices provided to respondents in the survey is broadly based upon standards currently in use by aquaculture certification groups, highlighting sustainability of fish feed, and control of antibiotic use, water quality and stocking density. Using data from an in-person intercept survey, a conditional logit model shows that a sample of 250 seafood consumers in Rhode Island choose wild products over farmed even when farmed products are certified, and by an entity preferred by the consumer. Results warrant both further study of consumer preferences for certified aquaculture products across a broader population, and study of the effect of different explanations of ‘best aquaculture practices’ upon preferences.

Secure sustainable seafood from developing countries

Require improvements as conditions for market access Demand for sustainably certified wild-caught fish and crustaceans is increasingly shaping global seafood markets. Retailers such as Walmart in the United States, Sainsburys in the United Kingdom, and Carrefour in France, and processors such as Canadianbased High Liner Foods, have promised to source all fresh, frozen, farmed, and wild seafood from sustainable sources by 2015 (1, 2). Credible arbiters of certifications, such as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), require detailed environmental and traceability standards. Although these standards have been met in many commercial fisheries throughout the developed world (3), developing country fisheries (DCFs) represent only 7% of ~220 total MSC-certified fisheries (4, 5). With the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reporting that developing countries account for ~50% of seafood entering international trade, this presents a fundamental challenge for marketers of sustainable seafood (see the photo).

Media Coverage of PCB Contamination of Farmed Salmon: The Response of U.S. Import Demand

This article evaluates the effects of extensive media coverage of a study published in 2004 regarding the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other organic contaminates in farmed salmon on U.S. import demand for fresh farmed salmon. The study indicated that levels of PCBs differed according to source, with highest PCB levels found in salmon from Northern Europe and lowest in those from Chile. Using a newspaper article index as a proxy for information, a two-stage demand model is estimated. In the first stage, total U.S. import demand for fresh farmed salmon is estimated to determine the overall effect of the information, while the second stage determines if there were any significant changes in market shares of source countries. Results indicate that imports declined by approximately one-third of what would have been in the absence of the PCB media stories during 2004–2006, and that some changes in exporters’ market shares occurred. Health implications for U.S. seafood consumers are discussed.

Advances in economics of marketing and implications for aquaculture development

Abstract This paper builds on an earlier review by Kinnucan and Wessells (1997) by discussing in some detail product differentiation, market integration, and generic advertising. The goal is to identify approaches and findings in each topical area that would appear to have relevance for aquaculture. Selected applications are given to highlight principles and to demonstrate usefulness.

Promotion and consumer choices: Analysis of advertising effects on the Japanese market for Norwegian salmon

Abstract The Norwegian Seafood Export Council (NSEC) conducted four major promotions for Norwegian seafood in Japan during 2000–2002, including salmon, salmon trout, capelin and mackerel. A market research firm hired by the NSEC conducted surveys of Japanese consumers prior to the advertising campaigns and following each promotion to determine the effectiveness of pulses of market promotion. This paper uses that data to develop a model, following the Fishbein‐Ajzen approach, that traces consumers’ beliefs regarding Norwegian seafood quality, safety and other perceptions to consumers’ preferences for salmon, to their frequency of Norwegian salmon consumption, and the direct and indirect effects of advertising. Returns to Norwegian producers from the advertising campaign are calculated. Results show that the advertising campaign did have positive and significant effects on Japanese market for Norwegian salmon, and generated a positive, but not large, return to producers.

Secure sustainable seafood from developing countries. Require improvements as conditions for market access

Require improvements as conditions for market access Demand for sustainably certified wild-caught fish and crustaceans is increasingly shaping global seafood markets. Retailers such as Walmart in the United States, Sainsburys in the United Kingdom, and Carrefour in France, and processors such as Canadianbased High Liner Foods, have promised to source all fresh, frozen, farmed, and wild seafood from sustainable sources by 2015 (1, 2). Credible arbiters of certifications, such as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), require detailed environmental and traceability standards. Although these standards have been met in many commercial fisheries throughout the developed world (3), developing country fisheries (DCFs) represent only 7% of ~220 total MSC-certified fisheries (4, 5). With the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reporting that developing countries account for ~50% of seafood entering international trade, this presents a fundamental challenge for marketers of sustainable seafood (see the photo).

Estimating preferences for non-market attributes of aquaculture and sustainable seafood production: methods and empirical applications

If aquaculture is to promote sustainable seafood production, the public must be willing to accept associated tradeoffs. Tradeoffs may include impacts on a variety of environmental and social attributes. Public preferences for aquaculture may differ according to type of operation, species, region, and other factors. Stated preference methods can assist policymakers in designing balanced, beneficial, and widely-supported aquaculture projects. This paper discusses the use of stated preference methodology to assess tradeoffs associated with aquaculture. An application to sustainable seafood production highlights both the methodology and results associated with such methods.