Title:

Whale Safe Mooring Lines

Aquaculture operations and commercial fishermen rely on strong, reliable mooring systems, but traditional rope-based gear poses a serious threat to endangered marine life. Whale entanglement, especially involving the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale with fewer than 360 individuals remaining, continues to be a major issue. This project focuses on developing a mooring line system that remains secure under normal working conditions but is engineered to break under lateral loads such as those caused by a whale becoming entangled. Traditional rope was replaced with fiberglass rods, which are strong in tension but designed to break cleanly when bent, minimizing the risk of serious injury to marine animals. A variety of rod samples were tested through tensile and four-point bending methods, as well as long-term ocean exposure trials to assess durability. Custom terminations were also developed and evaluated for performance in marine environments. Final results were compared against predicted values to assess reliability. This system is designed to protect whales while still meeting the needs of aquaculture and mooring applications.

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