1. Introduction In recent years deep changes in lifestyles and consumer’s choices of a- gro-food products have significantly altered the markets’ structures,both in terms of the organization of the production and the management chain-wide marketing and distribu- tion. Nowadays, the agro-food products demand structure and trend in Italy show with increasing evidence, the consumer’s attention to the intrinsic quality, safety, san- itary, organoleptic and nu- tritional properties of fresh products. There is also an interest in functional char- acteristics coupled with high-level processing and service content products, without failing the interest in prices, disposable in- come and its distribution variation effects. Added to this, it is im- portant to consider con- sumers’ increasing interest in the “new” demand determinants such as health care, en- vironmental protection and rural areas specificities en- hancement, as items that are confirmed by the consumers’ endless preference for organic and typical products. In the same way and during these years the consumption of seafood products has been influenced by new trends and changing needs, aimed at reaching a greater supply differ- entiation related to variety, choice, availability and quality of fresh and pro- cessed product. In particular, the con- sumption of seafood prod- ucts has consolidated its connotation of “prestige”, confirming the consumer’s preference towards a ra- tional, attentive, informed and very strong health-ori- ented food behavior. In Italy, seafood products are still connected with a defined idea of expensive items, to be eaten fresh, or outside home on holidays and special occasions, as often considered difficult to prepare and store. According to ISMEA es- timates, in 2010, the na- tional fishery sector ac- counts for only 4.9% of the total value added of the I- talian agro-food produc- tion, a sector that maintains some structural critical fac- tors made much more se- vere by the deep Italian and international econom- ic crisis. In fact, com- pared to a 20.9 kg/year per capita fish consumption, only s- lightly below the European average pointed to 22.1 kg/year, the domestic supply amounting to 478 thousand tons meets just 26.9 % of the total demand; as a result of low produc- tivity recorded by the fishing activities (-5.9% annually over the past five years), with continued strong import de- pendence. In the same year, Italian imports of fish products in- creased by 2.5% in volume and 10.8% in value for a whole quantity that reached nearly three quarters of the national demand (ISMEA, 2010; FAO, 2010). Italian consumers’ attitudes towards small pelagic fish Marta COSMINA*, Eugenio DEMARTINI**, Anna GAVIGLIO**, Christine MAURACHER***, Sonia PRESTAMBURGO*, Giovanna TREVISAN*** Abstract The paper intends to point out the characteristics of modern consumers’ be- havior and perception towards small pelagic fish and the knowledge of the product in terms of its nutritional elements, target market, structure of pro- cessing and marketing elements in order to evaluate types and quality of in- formation available along the supply chain. The study aims at understanding the demand determinants, consumers’ moti- vations and expectations in terms of quality, safety, health measures, trace- ability, availability and product innovation level. Qualitative analysis was used based on the focus groups method, administer- ing a specific questionnaire on a territorial basis. The results indicate some strategies for commercial exploitation of small pelagic fish in order to enhance the level of quantitative and qualitative satis- faction of consumers’ demand for these fish species. Keywords: small pelagic fish, consumer behavior, focus group. Résumé Dans cet article, nous allons passer en revue le comportement et la perception du consommateur moderne vis-à-vis des petits pélagiques, et sa connaissance du produit sur le plan des caractéristiques nutritionnelles, du marché cible, de la structure de la transformation et des éléments de marketing, afin d’évaluer les types et la qualité des informations disponibles sur la chaîne de distribution. L’objectif de cette étude est de comprendre les déterminants de la demande, les motivations du consommateur et ses attentes à l’égard de la qualité, de la sécurité, des mesures sanitaires, de la traçabilité, de la disponibilité et du ni- veau d’innovation de ce produit. L’analyse qualitative est réalisée en ayant recours à la méthode des focus groups, qui consiste à proposer un questionnaire spécifique sur une base terri- toriale. A la lumière des résultats obtenus, il est possible d’avancer des stratégies commerciales pour les petits pélagiques, visant à augmenter le niveau de sa- tisfaction quantitative et qualitative de la demande de ces espèces de poisson par les consommateurs. Mots-clés: Petits pélagiques, comportement du consommateur, focus group. 52 * University of Trieste. ** University of Milan. *** University of Venice. Jel code: Q130, Q180 NEW MEDIT N. 1/2012