Abstract
Surface-placed wave energy converters, floating tidal turbines, and floating offshore wind platforms all require anchoring to the seabed with multiple mooring lines and electrical cables passing through the water column, from near the sea surface to the sea floor. Concerns have been raised that large whales may collide with and/or become entangled in lines and cables from renewable energy installations, causing injury or death. Currently, there are few floating arrays where this encounter can be tested, and no appropriate industrial analogues that can be applied. Using literature values for humpback swimming behavior, diving speed, dive duration, foraging behavior, as well as specifications for a generic floating marine energy array, we have modeled the passage of the whales through the array. Using animation software, we have visualized the passage of an adult-calf pair through the array, as well as the foraging behavior of an adult humpback. From this animation, we hope to gain insight and provide visual context for the risk of large whales and offshore mooring lines and cables.
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