Oyster aquaculture has undergone substantial growth through the implementation of off-bottom cultivation practices in the Gulf of Mexico. However, the susceptibility of floating cage systems to extreme meteorological events, particularly hurricanes, remains a critical challenge. Current frameworks for storm preparedness are predominantly grounded in anecdotal practices, lacking a rigorous, science-based methodology that addresses infrastructure vulnerabilities induced by wind, waves, currents, and sea-level variability. This underscores the necessity for a systematic infrastructure evaluation framework for oyster aquaculture. To address this deficiency, we introduce a three-dimensional coupled fluid–structure–mooring model for floating oyster systems that facilitates robust assessment of structural resilience under extreme forcing conditions and the efficacy of preparedness strategies.
The model resolves multi-scale characteristics of floating oyster farm, encompassing the detailed configuration of floats, cages, and randomly distributed oyster shells within individual cages, as well as the coupled dynamics among multiple cages, fluid interactions, and the mooring constraints of long-line systems. After validation against controlled flume experiments, the framework is applied to assess the structural resilience of full-scale farms in the Mobile Bay–Mississippi Sound region of Alabama, USA. Results demonstrate that farm integrity is critically threatened under a 10-year return period storm, represented by the landfall of a Category 2 hurricane in proximity. Simulations further reveal that peak mooring loads invariably occur during maximum cage surge immediately prior to wave crest impact. These findings yield practical recommendations for reducing economic vulnerability and advancing farm design, thereby strengthening aquaculture infrastructure resilience throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico.