Numerical Study on the Dynamic Characteristics of a Fixed Horizontal Cylindrical Fish Cage under Earthquake Load

Aquaculture is a globally important industry that provides essential food for a growing world population and plays an important role in providing protein to countries with inadequate food supplies. Fish cage is currently the main facility for marine aquaculture all over the world. Especially in recent years, a variety of different types of fish cage emerge.

A large number of studies have been carried out to investigate the hydrodynamic characteristics of the net structure and the net cage (Klebert et al., 2013). The structural safety of the fish cage is the basis for ensuring the normal operation of a fish farm. For example, Fu and Moan (2012) conducted dynamic analyses of 5 by 2 floating fish cage collars in waves using hydroelasticity theory in the frequency domain. Similar to other marine structures, mariculture facilities are vulnerable to severe biofouling. The biofouling on the netting will directly affect the quality of fish and the safety of aquaculture structures (Fitridge et al., 2012). Many scholars have studied the effects of biofouling on the hydrodynamic characteristics of the netting (Bi et al., 2017; Bi et al., 2018; Gansel et al., 2015; Lader et al., 2015; Swift et al., 2006). Although much progress has been made, to our knowledge, the negative effects of biofouling on the hydrodynamic characteristics of a fish cage cannot be completely avoided.