A CFD Approach for Modelling the Fluid-Structure Interaction of Offshore Aquaculture Cages and Waves

Open ocean aquaculture cages became recently a promising alternative to traditional fish cage designs. The offshore environment implies larger loads on the structures and higher risk of fish loss. Floating rigid aquaculture cages with stiff nets are considered as a possible solution to cope with these new challenges. Their design process requires more advanced tools to account for the non-linear fluid-structure interaction. This paper presents a suitable numerical approach for analysing the interaction of offshore aquaculture cages and waves using Computational Fluid Dynamics. Here, a numerical wave tank accounts for the accurate propagation of the waves, and structural dynamics solutions are utilised for the cage system. Two-way coupling is enabled by accounting for the influence of the net on the fluid. The numerical model is validated against measurements for the loads on and the responses of a mobile floating fish farm in waves and current.

A CFD Approach for Modelling the Fluid-Structure Interaction of Offshore Aquaculture Cages and Waves

Open ocean aquaculture cages became recently a promising alternative to traditional fish cage designs. The offshore environment implies larger loads on the structures and higher risk of fish loss. Floating rigid aquaculture cages with stiff nets are considered as a possible solution to cope with these new challenges. Their design process requires more advanced tools to account for the non-linear fluid-structure interaction. This paper presents a suitable numerical approach for analysing the interaction of offshore aquaculture cages and waves using Computational Fluid Dynamics. Here, a numerical wave tank accounts for the accurate propagation of the waves, and structural dynamics solutions are utilised for the cage system. Two-way coupling is enabled by accounting for the influence of the net on the fluid. The numerical model is validated against measurements for the loads on and the responses of a mobile floating fish farm in waves and current.

The growth of finfish in global open-ocean aquaculture under climate change

Aquaculture production is projected to expand from land-based operations to the open ocean as demand for seafood grows and competition increases for inputs to land-based aquaculture, such as freshwater and suitable land. In contrast to land-based production, open-ocean aquaculture is constrained by oceanographic factors, such as current speeds and seawater temperature, which are dynamic in time and space, and cannot easily be controlled. As such, the potential for offshore aquaculture to increase seafood production is tied to the physical state of the oceans. We employ a novel spatial model to estimate the potential of open-ocean finfish aquaculture globally, given physical, biological and technological constraints. Finfish growth potential for three common aquaculture species representing different thermal guilds—Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) and cobia (Rachycentron canadum)—is compared across species and regions and with climate change, based on outputs of a high-resolution global climate model. Globally, there are ample areas that are physically suitable for fish growth and potential expansion of the nascent aquaculture industry. The effects of climate change are heterogeneous across species and regions, but areas with existing aquaculture industries are likely to see increases in growth rates. In areas where climate change results in reduced growth rates, adaptation measures, such as selective breeding, can probably offset potential production losses.