Forage Fish as Food: Consumer Perceptions on Baltic Herring

Pihlajamäki Pihlajamäki,Tuomisto Tuomisto,Haapasaari Haapasaari,Ignatius Ignatius,Asikainen Asikainen

doi:10.3390/su11164298

Abstract

Using fish resources for food supply in a sustainable and efficient way requires an examination of the feasibility of prioritising the use of forage species. The present paper deals with the issue from the consumer perspective. Using Baltic herring as a case study, the role of sociodemographic determinants, the drivers and barriers of Baltic herring consumption are investigated in four Baltic Sea countries, based on an internet survey. The drivers and barriers of Baltic herring consumption are compared to those relating to Baltic salmon, to identify the main differences in consumer perceptions on species that are primarily used as feed and food. The present paper concludes that prioritising forage species primarily for human consumption calls for proactive catch use governance, which (1) acknowledges the species- and country-specific intricacies of forage fish consumption, (2) improves the availability of safe-to-eat fish on the market, and (3) provides consumers with sufficient information on the species (e.g., the type of herring and its origin), the sustainability of the fisheries, and the related health risks and benefits.

Highlights

Ensuring the nutrition of the growing world population in a sustainable and climate-friendly way is one of the greatest challenges in the 21st century [1,2]
Using Baltic herring as a case study, this paper explores the consumption of forage fish from the consumer perspective and discusses the implications of the results to catch use governance
45% of the Danish and 24% of the Estonian fish consumers did not know the origin of the herring they eat

Summary

Introduction

Ensuring the nutrition of the growing world population in a sustainable and climate-friendly way is one of the greatest challenges in the 21st century [1,2]. Using fish resources for food supply in a sustainable and efficient way, involves their prioritisation for human consumption [6,7,8]. This calls for systematic catch use governance [9,10,11]. In the Baltic Sea region, the case study area of this paper, the consumer demand for Baltic salmon and cod is high, but the supply is limited by the poor state of the stocks [15,16] This market niche is largely filled by imported and farmed fish [17]. Only around 3% of the Finnish Baltic herring catch is used as domestic food [19]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion