Ice valuation among artisanal fishers in Hadramawt: Findings from a field-based choice study

A field-based choice study of 129 artisanal fishers in two coastal locations in Hadramawt, Yemen, supports the following key findings: Ice use for chilling fish is very low, despite willingness to adopt its use. Only 2 percent of fishers reported always using ice, yet 53 percent of fishers indicated willingness to adopt ice use and 36 percent were willing to forgo a cash payment in exchange for a bag of ice. This gap is consistent with low adoption being driven primarily by economic constraints rather than lack of awareness. Fishers’ valuation of ice is well below its market prices. The average valuation is approximately 2,200 YER per bag of ice, less than half the prevailing market price of 5,0006,000 YER. Only about 3 percent of fishers would choose to purchase ice at current prices. Willingness to adopt ice is highly price-sensitive. The share of fishers willing to adopt ice rises sharply as prices decline. A reduction to around 2,500 YER per bag—approximately half the current market price—could increase adoption to an estimated 40–50 percent of fishers. Expected gains from ice use vary by species. Price premiums are modest for the most commonly targeted fish species, limiting the economic incentive for most fishers to use ice. Access to iceboxes is associated with higher willingness to adopt ice use. Fishers who own an icebox are about 20 percentage points more likely to indicate willingness to adopt ice use and are willing to forgo approximately 1,390 YER more to obtain ice. This highlights the importance of complementary assets, such as iceboxes, in shaping adoption decisions.