The case for offshore wind farms, artificial reefs and sustainable tourism in the French Mediterranean

As the French government strives to achieve their offshore renewable energy target, the impact of offshore wind farms on coastal tourism in the Languedoc Rousillon is now being questioned. To assess this issue, a choice experiment was undertaken to elicit tourist preferences for wind turbines at different distances from the shore. We also examined whether potential visual nuisances may be compensated by wind farm associated reef-recreation or by adopting a coherent environmental policy. The findings indicate that age, nationality, vacation activities and their destination loyalty influence attitudes toward compensatory policies. Two policy recommendations are suggested. First, everything else being equal, wind farms should be located 12 km offshore. Second, and alternatively, a wind farm can be located from 5 km and outwards without a loss in tourism revenues if accompanied by a coherent environmental policy and wind farm associated recreational activities.

Innovating out of the Fishmeal Trap: The role of Insect-Based Fish Feed in Consumers’ Preferences for Fish Attributes

The purpose of the study was to examine the potential market impacts of the use of insect-based protein for fish feed as an innovative approach out of the fish-meal trap. An online questionnaire was used to elicit information on fish consumption choices among 610 German consumers using a Discrete Choice Experiment. Mixed logit and latent class logit models were used to model consumers’ preference heterogeneity. Results showed, that consumers’ preferences for fish attributes such as filets, freshness, ecolabelling and domestic production are heterogeneous and important in consumption choices. The minor share of the respondents was sensitive, while the remaining was indifferent regarding the use of insect based protein as feed in trout production. For this sensitive segment, consumption would be expected to be reduced unless the price is reduced or other attributes such as convenience aspects are improved. The implication is that firms can substitute without a significant impact on the market demand given that the majority of consumers are indifferent regarding feed sources for trout production. As a result, it provides an innovative way to ensure sustainable use of resources and reduces the threat of fish meal trap while reducing pressure on the already over-exploited marine life. The results provide first insights into the market impact of using insects in the animal protein value chain. It is important especially with Europe’s recent lift of the ban on using insect-based protein in the animal food industry