I f you play word association with the phrase hagfish slime, it may take you about a million tries before answering “cutting-edge military technology.” But that’s exactly where the U.S. Navy found inspiration.

A biochemist and an engineer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Panama City, Florida, managed to re-create the slime of the Pacific hagfish, an eel-like spineless fish that releases a sticky substance to defend itself from predators. They believe the fish’s slime, which when combined with water forms a strong and elastic sheet, can be used by the Navy’s ships as an extra layer of defense.

The hagfish is an eel-shaped, spineless scavenger. In response to attack from predators, the hagfish releases slime from its glands that clogs the gills of its attacker and has mechanical properties similar to Kevlar.

“The synthetic hagfish slime may be used for ballistics protection, firefighting, anti-fouling, diver protection or anti-shark spray,” says biochemist Josh Kogot in a Navy statement.

That’s quite a few potential applications. As of now, there aren’t many details on how far it will go, but the main uses being considered at the moment seem to be protection against projectiles and the prevention of biofouling, which is when organisms — typically barnacles — attach themselves to ships, a multi-million-dollar nuisance.