INTRODUCTION
Global blue mussel production reached approximately 132,000 tonnes in 2023, with Canada serving as the primary supplier to North America, producing roughly 21,989 tonnes annually (FAO, 2024). While the Canadian industry is well-developed and dominated by large-scale commercial entities, Sweden's sector is characterized by small-scale producers concentrated on the west coast, yielding approximately 1,684 tonnes annually (FAO, 2026). Growth in Sweden has been influenced by the Baltic Blue Growth project, which has promoted mussel farming primarily for nutrient removal and cycling, to support eutrophication mitigation rather than for direct human consumption. As global priorities shift toward the expansion of nutrient-dense, low-carbon protein sources, mussel farming represents an optimal pathway for addressing these goals (Bianchi et al., 2022). Given the differences in each country's approach to aquaculture, comparing their stakeholder perspectives is compelling because it may point to future directions for the blue economy.
METHODS
This study employs Q-methodology to identify and compare viewpoints among four stakeholder groups: industry, research, government, and NGOs. Thirty participants from Canada and Sweden took part in the study. Q-methodology combines qualitative and quantitative methods by taking a statistical approach to examine subjective viewpoints. In environmental discourses, individuals often have conflicting viewpoints, beliefs, and experiences. Q-methodology studies are well-suited to identifying topics on which individuals agree by grouping responses based on shared priorities and concerns, ultimately finding areas of consensus and disagreement among groups of participants (Barry & Proops, 1999). The results of Q-methodology studies are groups of shared perspectives, qualitatively titled and described based on the observed interests of the group.
PRELIMINARY RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Four dominant perspectives emerged from the dataset:
The Market-Scale Realists: Focused on commercial and economic potential, driven by market price and demand.
The Social Aceptance Skeptics: Concerned with social and regulatory influences, such as misinformation and stakeholder conflicts.
The Eco-Innovators: Defined by an environmental focus on climate change adaptation and technological innovation.
The Production-Risk Pragmatists: Concerned with environmental threats and their impacts on production reliability and operating costs.
While "The Market-Scale Realists" perspective was represented across both countries and stakeholder groups, the other perspectives aligned primarily with one country and two stakeholder groups. "The Social Acceptance Skeptics" are predominantly a Swedish perspective with a mix of government and research participants. The "Eco-innovators" are primarily Canadian NGO participants, and the "Production-Risk Pragmatists" are a mix of Canadian industry and government participants.
These preliminary results suggest that market-related issues, such as demand projections and market price, remain universally relevant. In Sweden, findings indicate that clearer regulations and increased public awareness could facilitate the expansion of mussel farming. In Canada, the results reveal a strategic impasse between optimists (Eco-innovators) and risk-oriented (Production-Risk Pragmatists) perspectives, highlighting a tension that may stall future development.
Acknowledgment
This work is part of the Mussel Puzzle project and is led and funded by RISE Research Institutes of Sweden.
References
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