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 toa growing global population. However, consumer acceptance and confidence in farmed seafoodproducts remain low. This study aimed to explore consumer attitudes towards aquaculturethrough a text-mining analysis of the scientific literature, identifying key thematic patterns,research trends, and potential pathways for improving aquaculture acceptance. Relevant studiespublished between 1991 and 2024 were retrieved from ScopusVR. After screening, 89 paperswere included and analysed using text-mining techniques, including semantic network analysisand Latent Dirichlet Allocation topic modelling. Most publications originated from Europe, high-lighting the region’s interest in consumer-aquaculture interactions. Seven main thematic areaswere identified: ecolabelling and added product values, sustainability perceptions, comparisonbetween wild and farmed fish, knowledge building, aquaculture development perspectives, will-ingness to pay for safety and quality attributes, and consumption attitudes towards fishery andaquaculture products. Results showed that farmed fish is still perceived less favourably thanwild-caught fish, but there is increasing interest in product and production characteristics, con-tributing to greater consumer awareness. Beliefs and perceptions are influenced by several fac-tors, particularly consumer knowledge and contextual variables, making broad generalisationsdifficult. More educational and awareness-raising initiatives are needed to improve familiaritywith and transparency of the sector through clear communication of both the advantages andlimitations of aquaculture production systems. However, strengthening transparent and science-based communication is essential to support the sustainable expansion and social acceptance ofaquaculture