CONSUMERS' WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR THE COLOR OF SALMON:A CHOICE EXPERIMENT WITH REAL ECONOMIC INCENTIVES

We designed an experimental market with posted prices to investigate consumers' willingness to pay for the color of salmon. Salmon fillets varying in color and price were displayed in 20 choice scenarios. In each scenario, the participants chose which of two salmon fillets they wanted to buy. To induce real economic incentives, each participant drew one unique binding scenario; the participants then had to buy the salmon fillet they had chosen in their binding scenario.Consumer/Household Economics,

CONSUMERS ’ WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR THE COLOR OF SALMON: ACHOICE EXPERIMENT WITH REAL ECONOMIC INCENTIVES

In most retail markets, sellers post the price and consumers choose which products to buy. We designed an experimental market with posted prices to investigate consumers ’ willingness to pay for the color of salmon. Salmon fillets varying in color and price were displayed in twenty choice scenarios. In each scenario, the participants chose which of two salmon fillets they wanted to buy. To induce real economic incentives, each participant drew one binding scenario; the participants then had to buy the salmon fillet they had chosen in their binding scenario. The choice data were analyzed with a mixed logit model. Key words: choice experiment, color, mixed logit, salmon, willingness to pay. During the past decade, economists have used experimental markets to investigate consumer preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for food quality attributes. The most popular method has been the second-price sealedbid Vickrey auction (Vickrey 1961) where participants submit sealed bids for the product and the price is determined by the secondhighest bid, see, for example, Shogren et al. (1994); Alfnes and Rickertsen (2003). The Vickrey auction is an incentive-compatible method for eliciting WTP. However, it is an unfamiliar market mechanism for most consumers. Consumers are more familiar with markets where the seller posts prices and they, as consumers, have to choose which products to buy. Lusk and Schroeder (2004a) designed an experimental market with posted prices to investigate consumers ’ WTP for food quality Frode Alfnes is a postdoctoral fellow and Atle G. Guttormsen is

AJAE APPENDIX: CONSUMERS’ WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR THE COLOR OF SALMON: A CHOICE EXPERIMENT WITH REAL ECONOMIC INCENTIVES

The material contained herein is supplementary to the article named in the title and published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Volume 88, Number 4, November 2006.Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis,

Mogućnost poboljšanja proizvodnih osobina šarana (Cyprinus carpio l) putem selekcije

Selective breeding for growth rate in common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) has not been actively pursued after some early unsuccessful selection experiments. Prerequisite for successful selective breeding is accurate and objective evaluation of genetic parameters used in the planning and implementation of selection methods. The aim of this work was to assess the possibilities of improving production traits (weight, length and height) that are related to the growth of carp, through selection. Estimated variation and heritabilities were significantly high for all examined characteristics. Based on the obtained results can be expected to improve growth rate of common carp through selective breeding

Possibilities of Improvement of Production Traits of the Carp (Cyprinus Carpio) by Selective Breeding

Selective breeding for growth rate in common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) has not been actively pursued after some early unsuccessful selection experiments. Prerequisite for successful selective breeding is accurate and objective evaluation of genetic parameters used in the planning and implementation of selection methods. The aim of this work was to assess the possibilities of improving production traits (weight, length and height) that are related to the growth of carp, through selection. Estimated variation and heritabilities were significantly high for all examined characteristics. Based on the obtained results can be expected to improve growth rate of common carp through selective breeding

Gene Expression Profiling of Soft and Firm Atlantic Salmon Fillet

Texture of salmon fillets is an important quality trait for consumer acceptance as well as for the suitability for processing. In the present work we measured fillet firmness in a population of farmed Atlantic salmon with known pedigree and investigated the relationship between this trait and gene expression. Transcriptomic analyses performed with a 21 K oligonucleotide microarray revealed strong correlations between firmness and a large number of genes. Highly similar expression profiles were observed in several functional groups. Positive regression was found between firmness and genes encoding proteasome components (41 genes) and mitochondrial proteins (129 genes), proteins involved in stress responses (12 genes), and lipid metabolism (30 genes). Coefficients of determination (R2) were in the range of 0.64–0.74. A weaker though highly significant negative regression was seen in sugar metabolism (26 genes, R2 = 0.66) and myofiber proteins (42 genes, R2 = 0.54). Among individual genes that showed a strong association with firmness, there were extracellular matrix proteins (negative correlation), immune genes, and intracellular proteases (positive correlation). Several genes can be regarded as candidate markers of flesh quality (coiled-coil transcriptional coactivator b, AMP deaminase 3, and oligopeptide transporter 15) though their functional roles are unclear. To conclude, fillet firmness of Atlantic salmon depends largely on metabolic properties of the skeletal muscle; where aerobic metabolism using lipids as fuel, and the rapid removal of damaged proteins, appear to play a major role

AJAE APPENDIX: CONSUMERS’ WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR THE COLOR OF SALMON: A CHOICE EXPERIMENT WITH REAL ECONOMIC INCENTIVES

This appendix contains the instructions used in the marked experiment described and analyzed in the article named in the title and published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics. The instructions are translated from Norwegian. In addition to the instructions, two pictures from the market experiment are included for illustration. Picture 1 shows the “lab” with the boxes representing the scenarios in the front. Picture 2 shows a group of participants studying and choosing between the alternatives

CONSUMERS' WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR THE COLOR OF SALMON:A CHOICE EXPERIMENT WITH REAL ECONOMIC INCENTIVES

We designed an experimental market with posted prices to investigate consumers' willingness to pay for the color of salmon. Salmon fillets varying in color and price were displayed in 20 choice scenarios. In each scenario, the participants chose which of two salmon fillets they wanted to buy. To induce real economic incentives, each participant drew one unique binding scenario; the participants then had to buy the salmon fillet they had chosen in their binding scenario

Expression of individual genes (candidate markers) correlating with firmness of salmon skeletal muscle (n = 16 fish).

<p>Data are log₂-ER and are highlighted with a color key. r =  Pearson correlation coefficient, S =  coefficient of linear regression (S – slope).</p