Developments in Modeling Techniques for Reliability Design of Aquaculture Cages: A Review

Offshore aquaculture is gaining traction due to space limitations in nearshore waters, more pristine water, cooler temperatures, and better waste dispersal. This move has spurred the development of new technologies for offshore aquaculture. Despite the numerous analysis methods for designing aquaculture infrastructure, limitations and challenges remain in modeling the influence of fish cages on flow fields and in addressing fluid-structure interaction. This paper presents a comprehensive review of analysis methods and modeling techniques applied in the design of offshore aquaculture systems, emphasizing the structural reliability analysis. This review includes statistical and predictive analysis of extreme sea conditions, evaluation of environmental loads and hydrodynamic analysis, structural reliability modeling and assessment, and seabed geotechnical responses to mooring anchors. For each design consideration, the relevant theories and applicability are elaborated upon and discussed. This review provides valuable insights for engineers involved in the development and design of offshore aquaculture infrastructure.