How do consumers perceive farmed fish and how to improve that perception? A literature review

Despite the continuous growth of the aquaculture sector, wild fish is still a reference for consumers. 72% of the EU’s apparent per capita consumption of fishery products is still provided by wild-caught products1 , and only 7% of European consumers (and 6% of Portuguese consumers) claim to prefer farmed products2 . Thus, a literature review was performed to investigate the reasons for this biased perception of aquaculture fish. The SCOPUS and Web of Science databases were searched, using the query “aquaculture AND fish AND consumer”. Following the Prisma approach3 , a total of 1067 records were retrieved from SCOPUS and 970 from Web of Science. 694 duplicates were identified with the Endnote (v20.5; Clarivate, United Kingdom) software and excluded. Reports without an available abstract or full text, not in English, obviously irrelevant, reviews, or those that did not focus on finfish were excluded, thus resulting in 140 analysed studies. Overall, the reviewed papers highlight a consumer preference for wild-caught fish. There is a strong belief that farmed fish contain harmful chemicals, such as antibiotics or preservatives and often this product is seen as unsafe. Farmed fish is also seen as “unnatural”. Wild fish is perceived as having better taste and quality, and being fresher. This idea is further strengthened by the perceived lower price of farmed fish, since consumers see price as a quality cue. The idea that wild fish is healthier and more nutritious was also frequently reported. Fisheries are seen as eco-friendlier, and consumers believe wild fish to have better welfare. Another aspect that stood out during this review was the low objective and subjective knowledge of consumers regarding aquaculture. In fact, despite the claimed preference for wild fish, sensory studies often reveal no differences between comparable wild and farmed products. The preference for wild products was generally associated with older age, more frequent fish consumption and the male gender. Consumers also tend to value domestic products. Finally, a growing interest in organic and sustainable fish products has been observed. Therefore, we propose four main points for the improvement of aquaculture perception. First, aquacultures must minimize the use of harmful chemicals and consumers must be assured of that. Second, there should be a focus on sustainable and eco-friendly farming processes, which should be clearly labelled as such. Third, each region should promote their domestic aquaculture products. Finally, clear and concise information regarding aquaculture should be disseminated to increase consumers’ knowledge.