Consumer preference and willingness to pay for low-commercial-value small pelagic fish in Sri Lanka: Evidence from a choice experiment

Small pelagic fish play a key role in the livelihoods of coastal fishers; however, most species face persistent marketing challenges that affect fishers’ incomes. This study examined consumer preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for products derived from low-commercial-value species, with Sardinella gibbosa as the focal species, using a discrete choice experiment (DCE) with urban supermarket buyers (n = 199) in the Gampaha District of Sri Lanka. Both Mixed Logit and Latent Class Models are employed to identify heterogeneity in consumer preferences. The choice experiment evaluated four products- raw fish, cleaned and packed fish, traditional salted fish (“Jadi”) and fish ball, along with credence attributes related to food safety, nutrition information and community welfare contributions as a percentage of the price. The alternative-specific constants indicated positive baseline utility for several labelled product alternatives relative to the no-buy option, with comparatively larger coefficients for cleaned-and-packed fish and fish balls. Food safety was identified as the most consistent driver of consumer preferences across all models, while community welfare contribution positively influenced some segments. Nutrition information had a more limited and heterogeneous effect. Marginal willingness to pay estimates indicated positive valuation for safety and, to a lesser extent, community welfare contribution, reflecting relative attribute importance rather than precise market valuation. Demographic factors such as education and income significantly moderate preferences, indicating the existence of consumer segments. These findings support value chain interventions to increase acceptance of low-commercial -value small pelagic fish in urban retail markets. While most relevant to supermarkets, the experimental framework can be adapted to other market settings.