One thing interesting about this test is that the research vessel
used, the R/V Rachel Carson, was designed by Roger Long, a former
contributor to rec.boats.cruising - Roger is still active on some
other boating forums and is presently cruising south for the winter on
his sailboat.

http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/magazine/2014/october/the-fine-art-of-anchoring.asp

There are lots of caveats with a test like this, some of which were
noted at the end of the article:

---------------------------------
But there were some things the tests couldn't measure. For example, a
straight-line pull test can't predict how well an anchor will reset
during a wind shift. The tests also can't tell the ultimate holding
power of a wellset anchor that's subject to dynamic loads, such as
when wind and waves act on a boat. Finally, the results hold for just
this one bottom. But there are so many different types of bottoms that
testing in them all would be an overwhelming undertaking.

No anchor test will ever manage to be complete, and despite all the
caveats, the process was a commendable attempt to conduct consistent
and comparable straight-line holding power tests in a specific bottom.
While the testing wasn't perfect and won't begin to satisfy everyone,
it succeeded in adding to the limited body of knowledge that exists
about anchoring and to confirm that anchoring remains as much fine art
as hard science.
-----------------------------------

The biggest issue for me is that all of the testing was done in a soft
mud bottom. That's fine for the Solomons area of Chesapeake Bay but
the most important thing for us is an anchor that sets well in many
different kinds of conditions like sand, grass, loose rock, etc. We
have been using Spade and Rocna anchors for over 10 years, over many
thousands of miles of cruising, and have had excellent results.