The Center’s offshore demonstration site, which can hold up to four cages, is secured by a submerged mooring grid, 440 feet in perimeter, and held fast to the sea floor by 12 anchors. The opposing forces of these anchors and submerged floats place tension on the structure, maintaining the desired geometry and preventing loose lines that could ensnare a whale or other marine mammal.
Though cages can be moored individually, a grid system is more space efficient in deep water. The deeper the water, the longer the mooring lines must be if they are to set at the right angle or scope for maximum holding power. The grid allows us to moor multiple cages in a much smaller footprint than if they were anchored individually. This approach frees up the surrounding seafloor for other activities, and lends itself to greater operational efficiencies such as centralized feeding systems to service multiple cages.