Association of health involvement and attitudes towards eating fish on farmed and wild fish consumption in Belgium, Norway and Spain

Consumers in many European countries do not equally meet the recommended daily intake levels for fish consumption. Various factors that can influence fish consumption behaviour have been identified but limited research has been performed on fish consumption behaviour, discriminating between farmed and wild fish. The present survey study confirmed differences in total fish consumption, farmed fish and wild fish consumption behaviour in Belgium, Norway and Spain. Spanish consumers consumed more frequently fish of each category than Norwegian consumers. Belgian consumers reported the lowest consumption frequency of fish. Accordingly, health involvement and attitudes towards fish consumption decreased from Spain over Norway to Belgium, suggesting a positive association of health involvement and attitudes towards fish consumption with total fish consumption. Similar effects were found for farmed and wild fish consumption. In general consumers in all countries were poorly aware of the origin of the fish they consume, despite the mandatory indication of origin on fish labels. Across countries, an increased awareness about fish origin was found with increased fish consumption. The findings of the study indicate that farmed and wild fish consumption should be further stimulated among Belgian, Norwegian and Spanish consumers in association with a healthy and positive meal. Additionally, given the limited awareness of the origin of fish, transparency on the issue of farmed origin will be important in order to anticipate potential adverse communication

How do affective health-related and cognitive determinants influence fish consumption? A consumer survey in five European countries

This paper focuses on exploring whether and to what extent affective health-related and cognitive determinants have an impact on fish consumption behaviour. Cross-sectional data were collected through the SEAFOODplus pan-European consumer survey (n=4,786) with samples representative for age and region in Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain and Poland. Consumers’ belief that eating fish is healthy and their interest in healthy eating positively influence fish consumption behaviour. Subjective knowledge is found to be a more important predictor of fish consumption than objective knowledge. Age and education contribute significantly to explaining fish consumption behaviour. However, the age and education effects on fish consumption frequency are indirect and mediated by the affective health-related and cognitive factors, such as health involvement and interest in healthy eating and knowledge related to fish. The proposed model contributes to a better understanding of health-related and cognitive factors influencing fish consumption behaviour.consumer, fish, determinants, model, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Socio-demographic influences on trends of fish consumption during later adult life in the Whitehall II study

Our aim was to investigate how socio-demographic factors influence trends and age-related trajectories of fish consumption. We examined consumption of total, fried and recommended fish (white and oily fish. and shellfish) in the Whitehall 11 study over I I years in participants aged 39-59 years at phase 3. The cohort included 8358 British civil servants who completed a FFQ at phase 3 (1991-3). phase 5 (1997-9. n 5430) and phase 7 (2002-4 n 5692). Occupational grade. ethnicity, marital and retirement status were collected at each phase. To analyse changes in age-related trends of fish intake over time according to socio-demographic characteristics. we applied a random mixed-effect model. Over the follow-up a significant increase in consumption of 'recommended' (mean: 1.85 to 2.22 portions/week) and total fish (mean: 2.32 to 2.65 portions/week) and a decreasing trend in fried-fish intake (mean: 0.47 to 0.43 portions/week) was observed. Recommended. fried and total fish consumption differed by occupational status, ethnicity. marital Status and sex. The trend of age-related fish intake diverged significantly by ethnicity. In South Asian participants (n 432). slope of recommended-fish consumption was significantly higher compared with white participants (0.077 v. 0.025 portions/week per year). For black participants (n 275) slope of fried-fish intake was significantly higher compared with white participants (0.0052 v. -0.0025 portions/week per year). In terms of public health. our descriptive and analytical work allows detailed Understanding of the impact of socio-demographic factors oil fish intake and its age-related trends. Such information is Valuable for food policies that seek to promote health equity

A comparative study of consumption rates and preference for some species of aquatic plants by Tilapia rendalli

The daily consumption rates and preference of juvenile Tilapia rendalli for some macrophytes, Ceratophyllum demersum, Lagarosiphon major, Najas pectinatas and Valisneria aethiopica were determined. Fish were offered single macrophyte diets to determine daily consumption and a mixture of the 4 macrophytes in equal quantities to determine selection. Consumption rates were 821.50 mg, 829.05 mg, 940.00 mg and 2293.53 mg per fish per day, respectively. The differences in consumption rates were significant. Preference was shown for V.aethiopica, whilst C.demersum was least selected. Fish fed on single species lost weight whereas those fed on a variety of macrophytes gained in weight

Review of aquaculture and fish consumption in Bangladesh

Fish play a crucial role in the Bangladeshi diet, providing more than 60% of animal source food, representing a crucial source of micro-nutrients, and possessing an extremely strong cultural attachment. Fish (including shrimp and prawn) is the second most valuable agricultural crop, and its production contributes to the livelihoods and employment of millions. The culture and consumption of fish therefore has important implications for national food and nutrition security, poverty and growth. This review examines the current state of knowledge on the aquaculture sector and fish consumption in Bangladesh, based on extensive analysis of secondary sources (including unpublished data unavailable elsewhere), consultation with various experts and specially conducted surveys. The review is comprised of three sections. Section 1 describes the main systems of aquaculture production in terms of their technical and social characteristics and outputs. Section 2 addresses issues relating to seed and feed. The final section analyses fish consumption patterns and demand, and attempts to estimate the volumes of fish produced from a range of sources.Food fish, Aquaculture, Food consumption, Fish consumption, Pond culture, Rice field aquaculture, Bangladesh,

The contribution of fish intake, aquaculture, and small-scale fisheries to improving nutrition: A literature review

Much of fish consumed by the poor are caught by household members and traded in local markets. These fish are rarely or poorly included in national statistics, and it is therefore difficult to estimate precisely the real contribution of fish to the rural poor households. This report is the first global overview of the role played by fish in improving nutrition. Fish consumption patterns of the poor, the nutritional value of fish, and small-scale fisheries and aquaculture activities are considered. It also highlights the gap in knowledge where more research is needed.Small scale aquaculture, Nutritive value, Food fish, Developing countries, Food security, Fish consumption, Artisanal fishing

The consumption of zooplankton by early life stages of fish in the North Sea

Previous work has shown that during the 1970s, fish and carnivorous macrozooplankton together consumed ~22 gC m-2 year-1 of mesozooplankton, principally copepods. Consumption declined to ~17 gC m-2 year-1 during the 1990s, mainly because of a reduction in fish production. The zooplankton production required to meet this demand seems to be approximately accounted for by estimates of new primary production, but there are additional sinks for zooplankton production attributable to predation by, for example, gelatinous species. Additionally, the consumption of zooplankton by early life stages of fish is difficult to assess and could be larger than implied by the earlier analysis. Here, the role of fish early life stages in zooplankton consumption is reassessed, and found to be approximately double that previously estimated. Some 28% of the zooplankton consumption by fish is now estimated to be attributable to early life stages, resulting in an estimate of zooplankton consumption by the fish community as a whole 14% higher. Taken overall, the consumption of zooplankton production by fish and other planktivorous predators is now estimated to be 19-25 gC m-2 year-1

A quantitative analysis of demand for fish in Nigeria

The paper discusses the relevant theoretical considerations and specifies a model in an attempt to quantify those variables, the changes of which affect the internal demand for fish in Nigeria. Regression analyses carried out show that a generally rising trend in per capita income will increase the demand for fish, other things being equal. It is further revealed that even as the price of fish goes on increasing, consumers' demand for fish also tend to rise. The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for a fish consumption survey in the country's fish deman