The Michigan and Minnesota Sea Grant programs and Lake Superior State University administered an aquaculture consumer education survey to people in the Great Lakes region working with aquaculture and to the national aquaculture extension network. The survey was incentivized, open for 30 days during summer 2022, and received 89 participant responses. Data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Constructed response questions were coded based on emergent themes. We defined a consumer as a person in the United States who is the end-user of aquaculture products which may include farm-raised fish for food, fee-fishing, bait, stocking, or ornamental purposes. Participants primarily served in extension/outreach roles (42%) and the rest were distributed across research, industry, regulations, and other areas (such as consulting, and government as a non-regulator). Over 45% of respondents spent 20 or more years working in or with aquaculture. Respondents were predominately white (93%) and male (71%). Of those who were female (29%), 83% were between 25-30 years old with aquaculture experience ranging between one and nine years. Of the different types of fish products or topic areas, participants worked primarily with food products (78%), stocking (48%), ornamental (21%), and “other” categories (such as aquaponics or endangered species), bait, and fee-fishing.
Most participants believe consumers are aware of aquaculture, but cannot define it or teach it to someone else. Participants were asked to list 1) the top three facts consumers already know about aquaculture, 2) the top three facts consumers should know about aquaculture and 3) misconceptions (or inaccurate facts) consumers have about aquaculture. The top three facts consumers know about aquaculture were that products are farmed, can be used as food, and aquaculture involves the environment. The top facts that consumers should know about aquaculture were that its products can be used for food, it is sustainable, it affects the environment, and its products are healthy. The top three misconceptions consumers have about aquaculture were that it negatively affects the environment, there are differences between farmed vs wild products, and products have high levels of contaminants. Survey participants indicated there are challenges associated with teaching adults and youth about aquaculture. Specifically, adults already have a set mindset, they tend not to be curious, and they have little to no knowledge about aquaculture. Participants indicated that current resources are not always appropriate to share in order to educate consumers because the type of delivery methods available are not useful (need more visuals, field trips, etc.), information is geared toward producers rather than consumers, and the information is incomplete or outdated. Participants stated that the most effective means of consumer education include: in-person/virtual tours of farms, online websites, and social media.
We will discuss these findings in more detail and explore how these data can help inform ongoing efforts in consumer education and outreach about aquaculture.