Consumer perceptions of hemp-fed aquaculture

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SOURCE: Taylor & Francis Group (Open Access) 
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CITATION:
Hyink, J., McFadden, B. R., Adhikari, S., Phipps, B. E., Mark, T., Rossi, W., … Yun, S. D. (2025). Consumer perceptions of hemp-fed aquaculture. Aquaculture Economics & Management, 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2025.2485105

ABSTRACT
Global demand for seafood has increased significantly inrecent decades and is projected to continue rising.Aquaculture production has increased in the United Statesand globally to meet this demand, offering a relatively sustain-able supplement to wild fish supplies. However, increased pro-duction further strains natural populations of pelagic speciesused to make fishmeal and fish oil into feedstocks, raising pro-duction costs and introducing safety concerns associated withfish consumption. A potential alternative feed ingredient ishemp, which can provide a cost-effective and nutritious feedfor carnivorous fish. Moreover, hemp could meet the require-ments for the final product to carry a “High Omega” claim.This study uses a discrete choice experiment to elicit con-sumer preferences for hemp-fed fish using different parts ofthe hemp plant as treatment groups. Respondents wereprompted to select from salmon products varying in feedtype, omega-3 concentration, and price. Results from this sur-vey indicated a positive preference for both the hemp-fed andhigh omega attributes and an even stronger positive prefer-ence for products that carried both attributes.