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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Consumer perspectives on coastal fisheries and product labelling in France and Italy

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Abstract The term ‘coastal fisheries’ designates a form of fishing which is under heavy pressure due to competition by large-scale high sea fishing. Setting up markets for seafood from coastal fisheries might offer possibilities of product differentiation when appreciated by consumers. The aim of this research is to analyse the potential of marketing seafood from coastal fisheries by investigating consumers’ perception of coastal fisheries and their attitudes towards a label for coastal fishery products in France and Italy. This research combined qualitative (focus groups) and quantitative methods (online survey) in two different steps. ‘Coastal fisheries’ were mainly perceived positively, as they provide fresh products, and are healthy and important for coastal areas. Although opinions on labelling in general, and on coastal fisheries specifically, varied widely, about 70% of the respondents were in favour of a coastal fisheries label. The willingness to use a coastal fisheries label increased significantly when domestic origin, high-quality products, eco-friendliness, support of local/coastal communities and artisanal fishing practices were part of this kind of label. It is concluded that using a label for communicating the origin coastal fisheries appears to be promising for the two study countries: France and Italy. A prerequisite for the success of this kind of approach is that the seafood products must fully comply with consumer expectations, as they are of domestic origin, be of very high product quality and fished in an artisanal or eco-friendly manner.