Introduction
Offshore aquaculture cages are increasingly subjected to harsh marine conditions such as strong currents, wave action, and storm-induced loads, which threaten their structural integrity and can lead to significant economic losses, fish escape, safety hazards, and environmental damage [1]. To address these challenges, this study presents a real system deployment of a structural health monitoring solution that uses load cell sensors to measure cage tension and communicates data remotely via satellite. By integrating real-time sensing with satellite communication, the system enables continuous monitoring of environmental dynamics and timely detection of stress events in offshore fish cages.
Materials and Methods
The load cell sensor i s deployed on offshore fish cage mooring lines to measure tension in real time. The sensor, securely anchored to the seabed, connects via a waterproof cable to a data logger housed on a floating buoy. Data collected by the sensor is transmitted through satellite communication to a cloud server, enabling remote access through a dedicated web interface. Figure 1 illustrates the physical components of the system, the data transmission flow, and includes photographs that depict the real deployment of the buoy, anchor, and sensors in the field.
Results and Discussion
Figure 2 presents a time series of load measurements captured by the deployed monitoring system, specifically showing the tension exerted on the floating buoy anchoring point. These values, transmitted via satellite, reflect how the buoy responds to changing marine conditions such as waves, currents, and wind. Peak loads exceeding 250 kg were observed during periods of intense environmental activity, followed by a gradual decline and stabilization—likely indicating calmer sea states or repositioning of the buoy.
This real-time monitoring demonstrates the system’s effectiveness in capturing dynamic forces acting on offshore infrastructure. Satellite-based communication ensures uninterrupted data delivery, enabling remote analysis and early detection of abnormal stress levels on the buoy and the fish cages. Such insights are critical for maintaining system stability, guiding preventive maintenance, and improving the resilience of floating structures in offshore aquaculture operations.
Conclusion
Our application demonstrates a reliable method for monitoring the structural health of offshore aquaculture in real time. The system facilitates prompt management actions to improve the resilience and sustainability of infrastructure by facilitating the early detection of stress events connected to tension. The sensor-driven monitoring is expected to be crucial for ensuring cage stability as aquaculture grows into more challenging marine settings and for facilitating long-term data collecting to create predictive models for proactive maintenance scheduling.
Acknowledgement: This study was funded by the AQUAMOORE project. Appreciation is extended to the project partners and the aquaculture companies that provided access to their facilities for this study.
Key words Offshore aquaculture; structural monitoring; load cells; Offshore aquaculture; structural tension; satellite telemetry; resilience.
References :
[1] J. C. Sanz-González et al. , “Sensing Offshore Aquaculture Infrastructures for Data-Driven Dynamic Stress Analysis,” Fishes 2024, Vol. 9, Page 61 , vol. 9, no. 2, p. 61, Jan. 2024, doi: 10.3390/FISHES9020061.