No abstract

Locally grown oysters became available in Hawai'i in 2014, for the first time in decades. It is unclear if these bivalve shellfish will successfully infiltrate the market when imported products similar in nature have long been the only source of fresh, shell stock products. This study investigates chef preferences for oyster attributes to determine marginal willingness to pay for locally grown oysters. A survey containing a questionnaire and a choice experiment was administered to restaurant chefs throughout Hawai'i who currently offer oysters on their menus. The study examines trade-offs made between attributes related to price, growout site, freshness, and supply constancy, respectively. Responses were aggregated and data were fit to a random parameters logit model. Results suggest that respondents derive the most utility from oysters that are fresh, grown locally, and supplied on an as-available basis. The least desired products are, therefore, those that are frozen, imported from foreign sources, and supplied on a set schedule. Chefs are willing to pay an additional $5.25 for one dozen oysters that are grown locally. This evidence of an existing price premium indicates that labeling local oysters as such may be a valuable marketing strategy. KEYWORDS chef, Hawai'i, local, oyster, premiumRich marine resources have made Hawai'i a popular seafood destination for residents and visitors alike. The state's high per-capita consumption of seafood and large tourist population, however, has driven demand beyond what local sources can satisfy. Farmed seafood is a potential source of additional food supply, but high costs of inputs have hindered development of 1 Correspondence to: jessieqc@hawaii.edu the aquaculture industry. Many seafood products can instead be imported to the islands at a lower cost than required to produce them locally. As a result, a variety of marine species have not been grown in Hawai'i in decades.A novel growout method has recently reintroduced clam and oyster farming to the state. In 2014 a single operation based out of an ancient Hawaiian fishpond began selling the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas. The oysters are the