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This paper explores the perspectives surrounding digital technology adoption in rainbow trout farming in Ontario, Canada. While digital transformation can help support and meet the growth needs of the fishery and aquaculture industries, few studies explore digital technology adoption in aquaculture and even fewer consider the diverse perspectives of various actors in this context. We aim to fill this gap by examining the viewpoints of key rainbow trout farming stakeholders, such as producers, researchers, and technology providers, regarding adopting digital technologies. This study, which is unique in the Ontario context, employed Q methodology to explore the perspectives of different actors using the extended theory of planned behaviour as a framework. We performed the Q-sort procedure using Qualtrics, providing 23 actors with 27 statements on a scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Q-factor analysis in PQ-method software identified three distinct discourses. Discourse 1 highlights skilled employees and data-related concerns, Discourse 2 emphasises understanding the complexity and costs associated with digital technologies, and Discourse 3 emphasises financial assistance and perceived value, focusing on attitude and perceived behavioural control. Interestingly, the three discourses were represented by various groups of actors, and not all respondents from the same sector shared the same perception. The findings of this study contribute to the limited scientific research on digital technology adoption in rainbow trout farming, which can inform strategic policy decisions.
Chowdhury et al. (Tue,) studied this question.