Fish escapes from aquaculture have traditionally been treated as an environmental or operational issue. A new study conducted by researchers from the University Pablo de Olavide, the University of Murcia, the University of Cádiz and the University of Alicante, from Spain, and published in Marine Policy suggests they should also be understood as an economic variable – one that directly affects consumer welfare and market positioning.
For the first time in Spain, researchers have quantified the monetary value that consumers associate with preventing farmed fish escapes. The findings indicate that the market does not reject aquaculture expansion, but it does demand stronger control, traceability and transparency.
The study, based on a discrete choice experiment with more than 2,000 Spanish consumers, focused on gilthead seabream and European seabass – two flagship Mediterranean species.
One of the study’s clearest results is that consumers do not support limiting aquaculture expansion If it leads to higher prices. Aquaculture is positively valued for ensuring fish availability and affordability.
However, support of the sector is conditional. Consumer show clear preference for measures that improve escape prevention and market transparency.
The study estimates that consumer would accept to pay €1.23 per kilogram more for farmed fish if specific escape prevention and detection measures are implemented. Up to €8.96 per kilogram when broader sustainability preferences are included.
The premium linked specifically to escape management reflects support for certification schemes including escape prevention standards, mandatory reporting of escape events, and detection and veterinary controls to prevent escaped fish being sold as wild.
Using Spanish production data and an estimated 5% escape rate in Mediterranean aquaculture, the authors calculate that escape-related welfare losses could amount to approximately €2 million annually. When broader sustainability valuation is considered, the potential economic value linked to improved management exceeds €14 million per year.
This reframes escapes from a purely ecological externality into a measurable economic issue.
Spain currently lacks a specific legal framework defining escaped fish or dedicated detection systems. The findings provide quantitative support to public escape registres, standardised reporting protocols, and strengthened traceability systems.
Importantly, the results suggest that stricter escape management does not necessarily undermine sector growth. Consumers do not demand contraction – the demand accountability.
For Mediterranean seabream and seabass producers, proactive escape governance may therefore represent not only environmental compliance, but a market opportunity.
Reference:
Ángel Perni, Jesús Barreiro-Hurlé, José Ruiz-Chico, Kilian Toledo-Guedes. Consumer preferences towards the management of fish escapes from aquaculture: A choice experiment. Marine Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2026.107082
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