U.S. consumers are willing to pay more for lobster harvested using ropeless fishing technology designed to reduce whale entanglement risks, according to new research from the University of Maine.

The study, led by Qiujie “Angie” Zheng, an associate professor of business analytics in the university’s Maine Business School, found that consumers would pay an average of $3.42 more for a lobster roll made with lobster harvested using ropeless technology when presented with information about animal welfare. Researchers said the findings are intended to explore how consumers might respond if the technology were adopted more broadly in the future, not to suggest Maine’s lobster industry should change its current practices.

Maine’s lobster fishery, which supplies roughly 90% of the nation’s lobster, has already adopted several whale-protection measures over the years, including weak links, sinking lines and reduced vertical line requirements aimed at lowering entanglement risks. The industry remains one of Maine’s most important economic and cultural sectors.

The research comes amid ongoing concern over the endangered North Atlantic right whale, whose population is estimated at 356 whales, including fewer than 100 reproductive-age females. Traditional lobster gear uses vertical lines connecting traps to surface buoys, and regulators and environmental groups have continued debating the extent to which such gear contributes to whale entanglements and deaths.

Zheng collaborated with Kanae Tokunaga, Rodolfo Nayga and Wei Yang to examine consumer demand for ropeless technology and how different messaging strategies influence public support. Researchers found that messages focused on whale welfare and entanglement impacts were most effective at increasing willingness to pay more for lobster harvested using the technology. However, responses varied depending on consumers’ environmental attitudes, animal welfare views and prior knowledge of right whale conservation.

“Right whale conservation is a collective effort,” Zheng said. “In addition to the fishermen, regulators and scientists, consumers play a role, so we hope this research helps understand consumer preferences and evaluations.” She added that the findings provide a foundation for assessing the economic feasibility of ropeless technology and may help Maine’s seafood sector better understand how sustainability messaging shapes consumer purchasing decisions.

More information: Qiujie Zheng et al, Valuation for Lobster Harvested Using Ropeless Technology to Reduce Right Whale Entanglement and Extinction, Marine Resource Economics. DOI: 10.1086/740800

Journal information: Marine Resource Economics Provided by University of Maine