Seafood Scotland: We're more likely to pay more for a fish supper when eating it by the sea

Figures showed residents and visitors to the Scottish inshore fishing towns Mallaig and Oban were willing to pay more than 3.5 times more for a portion of seafood when within view of an active inshore fisheries harbour.

When asked what was most important to them about their seafood, people put locally caught fish first when picking their seafood supper, followed by its environmental credentials. How fresh it was and if it had in fact been caught or harvested by more traditional small vessels were also ranked highly.

With a suitable view of fishing activity, seafood consumers were willing to stump up a theoretical £12.31 to £20.88, compared with a £6 baseline for a standard portion of shop-bought seafood. This did vary depending on age, with younger people offering up less money.

This amounted to more than double to three and a half times more than a baseline of £6 set for a basic portion of unattributed seafood, according to the study.

When told it was caught by small, traditional type vessels, people were willing to pay £10.51 to £17.84.

Asked what they would pay if eating seafood of unknown origin in a standard restaurant, the cash offered went down to £8.71 from £14.74.

“Our research shows that where consumers’ seafood comes from really does drive their choices in these coastal towns and that they put tangible value on it being from living fisheries that they can see and so feel connected to,” said senior researcher Simone Martino, who led the project, alongside researchers from the Scottish Association of Marine Science and the University of York.

“This is a cultural aspect of our fisheries that we could make more from, both for local communities and the tourism sector.

“By labelling food and sharing information about its origin, specific to local towns, its fishing heritage and living small-scale fisheries, retailers can provide extra value and help embed these values in the cultural life of their towns.”

The findings perhaps offer a glimmer of hope, at least for coastal restaurants, including the classic fish and chip shop, many of which have been living in fear of “extinction” amid the cost of living crisis.

Just last year, in the Aberdeenshire coastal town of Macduff, a shop called the Happy Haddock had to close after receiving a bill that put up its energy costs from £600 a month to £2,000.