Date of Graduation

8-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Agricultural Economics (MS)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness

Advisor/Mentor

McFadden, Brandon R.

Committee Member

Phipps, Brandy

Second Committee Member

Thompson, Jada

Keywords

Agricultural economics; Aquaculture; Consumer behavior; Food marketing; Hemp; Sustainable agriculture

Abstract

Global demand for seafood has increased significantly over the past several decades and is projected to continue rising in the future. The volume of aquaculture production has also particularly increased to meet this demand in the United States and globally, offering a relatively sustainable supplement to wild fish supplies. However, conventional fish farming uses unsustainable quantities of fishmeal and fish oil as feed inputs, which raises the cost of production and introduces safety concerns associated with fish consumption. One currently underexplored potential alternative to fishmeal is hemp grain, which can provide an affordable and nutritious feed for carnivorous fish and likely increase the concentration of omega-3 fatty acids in the fish tissue compared to other plant-based lipid ingredients. Research on consumer acceptance of hemp products is limited due to the regulatory history of hemp, since hemp has only been federally legal to produce in the United States since 2018. This study uses a discrete choice experiment to elicit consumer preferences for hemp-fed fish using different parts of the hemp plant. Respondents were prompted to select which salmon product they would choose from two side-by-side options varying in feed type, omega-3 concentration, and price. Results from this survey indicated a positive preference for both the hemp feed and high-omega attributes, with omega-3 concentration showing a relatively stronger influence on product choice. Between the different hemp treatments, respondents showed the strongest preference for hemp hearts as the hemp feed source. Furthermore, demographic characteristics such as age, objective knowledge about hemp, and frequency of salmon consumption were found to influence preferences. Younger generations, frequent salmon consumers, and respondents with more awareness about the legality of hemp displayed the strongest positive preference for hemp-fed salmon. These results suggest that educational material informing consumers about the safety and legality of hemp would be beneficial to the marketing of hemp-fed fish and other livestock. Overall, the findings from this study provide support for the use of hemp as a fish feed source with especially strong evidence that consumers will be interested in the resulting high concentration of omega-3s.

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