The Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) is the focus of one of the most valuable fisheries on the east coast of the United States, but the incidental bycatch of flounder species could have negative impacts on the long-term sustainability of the scallop fishery. The low profile dredge (LPD) was conceived as a modified dredge that would reduce flounder bycatch by decreasing the vertical distance to the top of the dredge, allowing the fish to more easily swim over the top to escape. During initial development, two prototypes were tested at sea, and each reduced flounder catch with minimal reductions in scallop catch. To make continued refinement of the LPD more efficient and cost effective, we incorporated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and flume tank testing into our design strategy. The use of CFD analysis was validated with comparisons to flume tank tests and data from at-sea trials through examination of turbulent flow patterns and particle trajectories. There was a strong correspondence between the CFD simulation outputs and the results of the flume tank tests and at-sea gear trials, supporting the use of computer simulations during the early stages of gear design to speed up and reduce the cost of new gear development.

大西洋扇贝（Placopecten magellanicus）是美国东海岸最有价值的渔业之一的重点，但附带的比目鱼副产品捕获可能会对扇贝渔业的长期可持续性产生负面影响。低矮型挖泥船（LPD）被认为是一种改良型挖泥船，可通过减小到挖泥船顶部的垂直距离来减少比目鱼的兼捕物，从而使鱼更容易游过顶部逃逸。在最初的开发过程中，在海上测试了两个原型，每个原型都减少了比目鱼的捕捞量，而扇贝的捕捞量却减至最小。为了使LPD的持续优化更加有效和具有成本效益，我们将计算流体动力学（CFD）分析和水槽测试纳入了我们的设计策略。通过检查湍流模式和颗粒轨迹，通过与水槽试验的比较以及来自海上试验的数据对CFD分析的使用进行了验证。CFD模拟输出与水槽测试和海上齿轮试验的结果之间存在很强的对应关系，支持在齿轮设计的早期阶段使用计算机模拟来加快并降低新齿轮开发的成本。