Effects of wind on surface feed distribution in sea cage aquaculture: A simulation study

Abstract

This study examines the simulated effects of wind on the spatial surface distribution of pelletized feed from rotary pneumatic spreaders which are used extensively in sea cage aquaculture. A robotic model of the spreader and external ballistic description of the pellet trajectories have been extended to include wind forces, and the spatial distribution is compared for different sized pellets in various wind fields. The results show that overall effects of wind on spatial pellet distribution is limited, however, there is a negative correlation between wind and surface coverage.