Evolutionary Psychology of Aquaculture Decision Making: An Iceberg Model Perspective

Abstract

Aquaculture plays an increasingly important role in global food security, livelihood diversification, and economic development. However, decision making within aquaculture systems often deviates from conventional economic assumptions, particularly in developing country contexts where uncertainty, resource limitations, and institutional constraints are prevalent. This review paper presents a conceptual analysis of aquaculture decision making through the integration of evolutionary psychology and the Iceberg Model of systems thinking. Drawing on interdisciplinary literature from aquaculture, behavioural economics, psychology, and systems theory, the study examines how cognitive biases, social dynamics, and structural conditions interact to shape farmer behaviour and production yields. The analysis demonstrates that observable effects such as low adoption of innovations, risk-averse investment behaviour, and uneven productivity are influenced by deeper behavioural patterns, systemic structures, and underlying mental models. Evolutionary drivers including loss aversion, risk perception, heuristic decision making, and social learning are shown to significantly influence aquaculture practices, particularly under conditions of uncertainty. The Iceberg Model also reveals how these behavioural tendencies are reinforced by institutional limitations, cultural norms, and socio-economic realities, creating feedback loops that sustain existing practices. The paper argues that effective aquaculture development requires interventions that move beyond technical and and surface-level solutions to address the behavioural and systemic factors influencing decision making. Integrating evolutionary psychology with systems thinking provides a more holistic framework for understanding aquaculture behaviour and offers practical insights for designing resilient, inclusive and behaviourally informed aquaculture policies and development strategies.