Consumer attitudes towards wild and farmed seafood: insights from semantic network analysis and topic modelling

Aquaculture is recognised as a key sector for ensuring a sustainable supply of animal protein to a growing global population. However, consumer acceptance and confidence in farmed seafood products remain low. This study aimed to explore consumer attitudes towards aquaculture through a text-mining analysis of the scientific literature, identifying key thematic patterns, research trends, and potential pathways for improving aquaculture acceptance. Relevant studies published between 1991 and 2024 were retrieved from Scopus®. After screening, 89 papers were included and analysed using text-mining techniques, including semantic network analysis and Latent Dirichlet Allocation topic modelling. Most publications originated from Europe, highlighting the region’s interest in consumer-aquaculture interactions. Seven main thematic areas were identified: ecolabelling and added product values, sustainability perceptions, comparison between wild and farmed fish, knowledge building, aquaculture development perspectives, willingness to pay for safety and quality attributes, and consumption attitudes towards fishery and aquaculture products. Results showed that farmed fish is still perceived less favourably than wild-caught fish, but there is increasing interest in product and production characteristics, contributing to greater consumer awareness. Beliefs and perceptions are influenced by several factors, particularly consumer knowledge and contextual variables, making broad generalisations difficult. More educational and awareness-raising initiatives are needed to improve familiarity with and transparency of the sector through clear communication of both the advantages and limitations of aquaculture production systems. However, strengthening transparent and science-based communication is essential to support the sustainable expansion and social acceptance of aquaculture.