Investigating stakeholder perceptions to inform communication

People’s attitudes to shellfish were the focus of this European Social Fund sponsored PhD project, which investigated stakeholder perceptions of consuming shellfish.

It was conducted by Dr Nicholas Boase, who has since left the University.

The shellfish industry is an important part of both the UK and Cornish economies, with landings of nearly £11 million in Cornwall in 2011. In addition, there are many shellfish farms around the county, for example in the rivers Fal, Fowey and Camel.

This project aimed to understand current shellfish purchase decisions, and inform communication between the industry, stakeholders and the public.

Existing research highlights numerous factors important in understanding what foods people choose to eat and this project will explore these in the context of shellfish – an area where data is currently lacking.

The study involved semi-structured interviews and questionnaires with representatives from across the shellfish industry and the public, from producers to consumers.

Aquatic Water Services Ltd worked with Nick Boase on this project, which was supervised by Dr Mat White, Dr Clare Redshaw and Dr William Gaze.