Aquaculture America 2024

February 18 - 21, 2024

San Antonio, Texas

CONSUMER PREFERENCES FOR HEMP-FED AQUACULTURE

 Jillian Hyink*, Brandon McFadden, Brandy Phipps,  Tyler Mark, Craig

 Schluttenhofer, Seong-Do Yun

 

 Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness

University of Arkansas

465 N. Campus Walk

Fayetteville, AR, 72701

hyink@uark.edu

 



 Increasing consumption of seafood in the U.S. and globally ha s prompted growing attention to the environmental and safety concerns associated with the commercial fishing industry.  Farm-raised fish are a resource-efficient source of animal protein that consumers may substitute as a  generally safer, sustainable alternative to wild-caught fish . However, it is important for the aquaculture industry to  continuously innovate to maintain the most efficient and environmentally conscious production methods.

 Hemp  grain  production in the U.S. has created a new possible source  of dietary nutrients and energy for farm-raised fish  as a  complementary substitute for fish meal, which is  costly and environmentally taxing. However, it is unclear whether consumers will be averse to consuming hemp-fed fish. T he objective of this study is to survey  U.S.  consumers to determine demand sensitivity to hemp-fed labels on fish products, and respective willingness to pay for these products.  Moreover, our survey oversamples underrepresented minority groups because  Native Americans tend to consume significantly more fish than  other groups.  The results of this survey will be informative to stakeholders in the hemp and aquaculture industries, as well as processors that may collect a premium from labeling products as hemp-fed.