New Aquaculture Marketing Effort: Today’s Farmed Fish

By NFI Media, September 1, 2020

Aquaculture

More than half of the seafood Americans eat each year is farmed, and with fish farming (aquaculture) recognized as the fastest growing form of food production in the world, that percentage is poised to rise with a growing global population. Yet, even with the prevalence of sustainable, nutritious farmed fish in the diet, some Americans still have reservations about eating farmed seafood because of misinformation.

Today’s Farmed Fish

Enter Today’s Farmed Fish, a campaign led by a collaboration between the School of Aquatic and Fishery Science at the University of Washington and McCluney Seafood Strategies. Today’s Farmed Fish provides well researched, science-based information that provides answers to common farmed fish questions and concerns. Those topics include information about environmental impacts, escapement, feed, and advancements in technology and sustainability.

The Research Project

Today’s Farmed Fish is part of a two-year research project, funded by NOAA SeaGrant, designed to improve consumer perception around farmed fish using grassroots marketing techniques. Before launching the website and social media channels, the researchers completed myriad surveys and focus groups in order to help understand what type of education is needed to address the key concerns and confusion about fish farming in the U.S. NFI provided resources to the researchers during this period.

Comparing Farmed Fish to Land-Based Protein

Principal researcher Dr. Chris Anderson, Fisheries Economist and Associate Professor at University of Washington, highlights the importance of comparing farmed fish not to wild fish or other farmed seafood species – but to land-based farmed proteins, where seafood often has less of an environmental impact. “One approach we are taking is to place farmed fish in the context of other things people could eat, such as beef, pork or chicken. Here, farmed fish is a tasty and affordable option which compares favorably in nutrition and environmental footprint to terrestrial farmed proteins.”