Investigating fish purchase patterns and preferences among the consumers of Sari

The present study aimed at looking into the fish consumption preferences and purchase patterns among 266 households of Sari in order to identify the fish marketat Mazandaran province. To do so, a questionnaire was provided to be administered among consumers to state their preferences towards the type of fish species, purchase forms of fish as well asfish purchasing pattern in their family. Descriptive statistics as well as referential analysis was conducted through Friedman Test. Results showed that meat consumption priority among the households of Sari constituted the consumption of poultry meat, lamb, fish and beef, respectively. As to the investigation of fish purchase pattern, it was that almost two-thirds of households in Sari bought fish less than once a month and only a few percentages of them (4.1 percent) purchased them on a weekly basis.It was also revealed that consumers in Sari prefer marine fish more than farmed fish and cold-water fish more than warm-water fish. Fresh, live and canned fish were the preferred forms of purchase for the consumers in Sari, and other forms of fish such as frozen, smoked and salted fish (total 7.9 percent) were rarely preferred by the consumers. Findings of the current research can contribute to powerful decision-making of companies and suppliers in terms of which product should be provided to the market for more sale. Therefore, recognizing the needs and desires of consumers and understanding their purchase behavior are effective steps to meet their expectations and ultimately increasing fish consumption.