b'MEETING TOUGH REGULATIONSAnother challenge to marine aquaculture is the strictThe longer you measure water currents in some regulations that must be met to establish a newcountries, the less safety factor engineers must apply offshore site. As you can imagine, these regulationsto cage designs. In essence, the more data you vary from country to country. Still, most regionscollectand the better you understand year-round require current surveys before approving a newwater conditionsthe more you can relax your sea facilitys design. cage safety margins.These current surveys map water (exchange) flow,For an ocean farm, its critical to find an ideal location spread, current, and bottom currentsand arewhere you know the environmental conditions in ultimately used to map how organic materials movedetail to maximize profitability. within a marine environment. These measurements form the basis for the environmental bearingLastly, even after a site is approved and operational, capacitythe maximum amount of fish grown in awater quality and current measurements have facility without negatively affecting the surroundingproven helpful to monitor for pollution events that aquatic environment. could harm fish. Real-time data helps farm managers Current surveys are required for regulatory approval,protect their crops from contaminants such as oil but the data collected can also help optimize aspills or harmful algal blooms. Overall, long-term facilitys design. current data can translate into significant savings for farm owners (and happier fish!) MEASURING OCEAN CURRENTSSo, how do aquaculture experts monitor for water currents exactly? There are two methods: an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) or a single point Doppler Current Meter (DCS).These in-situ devices send out an acoustic signal that bounces off particles in the water column. The signal then reflects back to the instrument, which calculates the speed and direction the water is moving.ADCPs can be deployed safely on the seafloor or mounted on a moored buoywhich is the most common setup. An alternative is to use three DCSs at different depths on a mooring. Both solutions must provide stable data with very little background noise to measure currents reliably and ensure the data will meet regulatory requirements.Acoustic DopplerThere are several ADCPs and single point DCSs Current Proleravailable today, but the Aanderaa RCM Blue has (ADCP) quickly become the top option for the most accurate current measurements. 24 MISSION: WATER'