Geospatial fish consumption patterns and paradigmsin Odisha State, India

The current study investigated the geographic distribution and characteristics of fish consumption in Odisha State, India. The study was conducted across various locations, comprising urban coastal (Puri), rural coastal (Balasore), urban non-coastal (Cuttack) andrural non-coastal (Mayurbhanj) districts in the state. A total of 1440 respondents were selected for assessing the fish consumption patterns across theses diverse locations. According to the consumer profile, 82% of respondents were between the age of 20 and50, with 24% having a college degree. More than 90% of the respondents reported that they consume fish regularly. The results indicated that increased fish availability (62%), accessibility (52%), and affordability (48%) contributed to a rise in fish consumption over time. Over all, distance to the fish access points ranged between 1 to 2 . Catla was the most preferred fish species among consumers, followed by Rohu and other carps. Several barriers to increasing fish consumption were identified based on the perceptions of the respondents, such as erratic availability, lack of preference for fresh fish, wide price variations, limited access and high price. The data were analysed using a range of statistical and econometric methods, including conjoint analysis, preference assessment index and discriminant analysis. Keywords: Coastal, Conjoint analysis, Discriminant analysis, Fish consumption, Non-coastal, Preference assessment index