The Economics of Ecolabelling - SEAFOOD Ecolabelling: Principles and Practice - page 43

cod, etc. The survey did not ask respondents to choose, for example, certified cod
versus uncertified salmon.
Data were collected in the summer of 1998 on the household's geographic lo-
cation, level of trust in specific agencies as providers of certification, seafood con-
sumption habits, household seafood and grocery budgets, memberships in environ-
mental organisations, perceptions of the status of Pacific salmon and Atlantic cod
stocks and a variety of other factors with potential impact on preferences for la-
belled seafood products. On average, about 70% of respondents chose ecolabelled
shrimp, salmon or cod over the non-ecolabelled product.
Econometric analysis was performed to determine what factors influence the
choice of ecolabelled products over non-ecolabelled products. Results were highly
statistically significant and suggested that respondents' preferences for ecolabelled
fish are most significantly affected by the size of the price premium. As the premium
increases, the likelihood that the respondent would choose the ecolabelled product
over the non-ecolabelled product declines. In addition, the likelihood of choosing
ecolabelled fish differed by species, geographic location of the household and con-
sumer group, and was slightly affected by certifying agency. For example, the effect
of the premium was negative (declining likelihood of purchase) for all species, but
the effect was smaller in magnitude for salmon and greatest for cod. Households
on the West Coast of the US were more likely to choose certified salmon than
those in other parts of the nation. Households that were members of environmental
organisations were more likely to choose certified fish over uncertified fish.
The research above shows several statistically significant explanatory variables in
the analysis of consumers' choice of ecolabelled seafood. Jacquet and Pauly (2007)
incorrectly conclude that Wessells et al . (1999b) found few statistically significant
variables affected choice of ecolabelled seafood. In addition, other factors found
to influence choice of ecolabelled fish were gender - females were more likely to
choose ecolabelled products than males; and seafood budgets - those households
with larger seafood budgets were more likely to choose uncertified products. These
results also indicated that significant consumer education was desirable, as fully
two-thirds of respondents indicated that they were unsure of the status of Pacific
salmon and Atlantic cod stocks.
To examine differences among countries in preferences and demand for eco-
labelled seafood, Johnston et al . (2001) collected data from a virtually identical
telephone survey administered to 2039 Norwegian residents during the autumn of
1999. The primary differences in information collected between Norway and the
US were that (a) instead of cocktail shrimp, the Norwegian survey asked about
the smaller coldwater shrimp; (b) instead of using the NMFS as a governmental
certifying agency, the Norwegian survey used the Norwegian National Fisheries
Directorate; and (c) premiums were specified in Norwegian kroner, not US dollars.
The data showed that Norwegian consumers were less likely to choose certi-
fied seafood products, averaging closer to a 50% preference for certified seafood.