This unit of competency describes the skills and knowledge required to monitor the operation and maintenance of a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) used to grow or hold stock. It includes the ability to brief team members on operations and routine maintenance, and record and analyse data.

The unit applies to individuals who are responsible for monitoring processes and operations in an aquaculture environment, who work under broad direction.

All work must be carried out to comply with workplace procedures, according to state/territory health and safety, food safety, biosecurity and environmental regulations, legislation and standards that apply to the workplace.

No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

An individual demonstrating competency must satisfy all of the elements and performance criteria in this unit.

There must be evidence that the individual has monitored the operations of a recirculating aquaculture system on at least one occasion, including:

identifying and confirming work plan or maintenance schedule requirements with supervisor and team members

identifying appropriate components and equipment or technology required to perform tasks, including the fitting of personal protective equipment

applying risk assessment processes and controls to mitigate risk and minimise impact

repairing and replacing components according to maintenance schedule

performing checks and calibrations and adjusting systems as required against workplace parameters to optimise conditions for stock

maintaining a clean and functional work area following monitoring and maintenance activities

maintaining accurate records on monitoring and maintenance work.

An individual must be able to demonstrate the knowledge required to perform the tasks outlined in the elements and performance criteria of this unit. This includes knowledge of:

procedures for the operation and maintenance of recirculating aquaculture system components

main biological and environmental requirements of the culture or holding species

key impacts of inputs on systems and component operation, such as maximum stocking, feeding and waste loads

water quality, optimal and critical limits for various parameters and non-standard conditions

health and safety practices and risks associated with operation and maintenance of recirculating aquaculture systems

risk management for events, such as blackouts, brownouts and equipment breakdowns

procedures for collecting data and recording and reporting on operation, monitoring and maintenance activities

relevant legislation relating to monitoring operations of high technology water treatment components.

Assessment of the skills in this unit of competency must take place under the following conditions:

physical conditions:

skills must be demonstrated in an aquaculture workplace or an environment that accurately represents workplace conditions

resources, equipment and materials:

personal protective equipment

recirculating aquaculture system components

water monitoring equipment

other equipment as needed to operate the system and maintain water quality

spare parts and repair materials

forms or systems for recording data

specifications:

workplace requirements for basic and advanced environmental parameters, and water quality parameters for culture or holding stock

work plan, schedule or work instructions for the operation and maintenance of recirculating aquaculture system components

workplace procedures for operating and maintaining recirculating aquaculture systems

manufacturer instructions for operating and maintaining high technology water treatment system or components

relationships:

evidence of interactions with supervisor and team members.

Assessors of this unit must satisfy the requirements for assessors in applicable vocational education and training legislation, frameworks and/or standards.

This section describes those language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills that are essential for performance in this unit of competency but are not explicit in the performance criteria.

Aquaculture (AQU)