2017/09/22 by Jean-Baptiste E. Thomas, Jean-Baptiste Thomas, Jonas Nordström +5 · 1 citation
Environmental Science · #Marine and fisheries research #Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies #Coastal and Marine Management
paper · pdf · doi:10.1007/s13280-017-0945-3
Efforts are on the way on the Swedish West Coast to develop the capacity for cultivation of marine resources, notably of kelps. Given that this is a region of great natural and national heritage, public opposition to marine developments has been identified as a possible risk factor. This survey thus sought to shed light on awareness levels, perceptions of different types of aquaculture and on reactions to a scenario depicting future aquaculture developments on the West Coast. When asked about their general opinions of aquaculture, respondents tended to be favourable though a majority chose neutral responses. On the whole, respondents were favourable to the depicted scenario. Finally, it was found that the high-awareness group tended to be more supportive than the low or medium-awareness groups, hinting at the benefits of increasing awareness to reduce public aversion and to support a sustainable development of aquaculture on the Swedish West Coast.