Application
All enterprise or workplace procedures and activities are carried out according to relevant government regulations, licensing and other compliance requirements, including occupational health and safety (OHS) guidelines and ecologically sustainable development (ESD) principles. Equipment operation, maintenance, repairs and calibrations are undertaken in a safe manner that conforms to manufacturer instructions. Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) is selected, checked, used and maintained. |
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENT | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
1. Prepare for production | 1.1. Requirements of the algae or live-feed cultureproduction schedule are noted and confirmed with supervisor. 1.2. Production vessel or structure and other equipment are collected and checked for serviceability. 1.3. Sub-standard equipment is repaired or replaced according to manufacturer guidelines. 1.4. Hygiene precautions and axenic culture techniques are undertaken. |
2. Initiate and maintain cultures | 2.1. Production vessel is filled with treated water. 2.2. Inoculation cultures and nutriments are added. 2.3. Physio-chemical requirements of the culture organism are maintained for the culture period. 2.4. Indicators of culture health are monitored and irregularities are reported to the supervisor. 2.5. Wastes are removed and water levels are maintained. 2.6. Hygienic growing conditions are provided, minimising the risk of contamination. 2.7. Automatic or mechanised equipment are operated and maintained according to work procedures. |
3. Harvest culture | 3.1. Harvesting equipment is collected and checked for serviceability. 3.2. Required quantity is harvested and transferred to be fed to predator species. 3.3. Collection vessels are cleaned and sanitised before and after use. |
4. Complete post-culture production activities | 4.1. Clean up of work area, including repairs and storage of equipment, is supervised and condition report prepared. 4.2. Relevant culture production data, observations or information are recorded legibly and accurately, and any out of range or unusual records checked. 4.3. Compliance and other required reports are prepared and conveyed to senior personnel advising of the effectiveness of culture production, and recommendations made for improvements. 4.4. Feedback on own work performance is sought from supervisor and opportunities to improve identified. |
Required Skills
Required skills |
adding inoculation cultures and nutriments to production vessels according to enterprise procedures communicating with supervisor on production activities and on own performance communicating ideas on possible improvements harvesting algal or live-feed cultures maintaining axenic transfer of parent cultures operating and maintaining production and harvest equipment providing oral reports to supervisor on algal or live-feed production recognising and reporting on obvious problems associated with the culture-growing environment and culture health removing waste and maintaining water levels according to enterprise procedures using a microscope to examine culture for signs of health. Literacy skills used for: interpreting manufacturer guidelines interpreting production schedules and labels recording workplace data related to the production of algal or live-feed cultures interpreting warning and safety signs. Numeracy skills used for: calculating culture periods counting or determining density of algal or live-feed culture organisms diluting to reach desired salinity estimating weight of small quantities of chemicals measuring chemical volumes and weights for sanitation reading gauges and meters. |
Required knowledge |
culture periods and life cycles of culture organisms ESD principles operation and maintenance of automatic or mechanised equipment physio-chemical requirements of the culture organisms procedures for producing and harvesting algal or live-feed cultures purpose of, and operating procedures for, algal or live-feed culture production and harvest equipment purpose of nutriments. |
Evidence Required
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package. | |
Overview of assessment | |
Critical aspects for assessment evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit | Assessment must confirm the ability to: follow work procedures and supervisor's instructions for the production process produce algal or live-feed cultures under routine conditions. Assessment must confirm knowledge of: basic process for effective production of algal or live-feed cultures, including setting up, initiating and breeding, monitoring health and growth, harvesting and cleaning up activities. |
Context of and specific resources for assessment | Assessment is to be conducted at the workplace or in a simulated work environment. It should cover the entire process of production, from establishing the culture through to harvesting. Resources may include: inoculation cultures and nutriments production schedule production vessels production and harvest equipment records for documenting algal or live-feed culture production treated water work procedures for producing algal or live-feed cultures. |
Method of assessment | The following assessment methods are suggested: practical demonstration project work written or oral short-answer testing. |
Guidance information for assessment | This unit may be assessed holistically with other units within a qualification. |
Range Statement
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included. | |
Relevant government regulations, licensing and other compliance requirements may include: | biodiversity and genetically modified organisms biosecurity, translocation and quarantine business or workplace operations, policies and practices environmental hazard identification, risk assessment and control OHS hazard identification, risk assessment and control. |
OHS guidelines may include: | appropriate workplace provision of first aid kits and fire extinguishers clean, uncluttered, hygienic workplace codes of practice, regulations and/or guidance notes which may apply in a jurisdiction or industry sector enterprise-specific OHS procedures, policies or standards hazard and risk assessment of workplace, maintenance activities and control measures induction or training of staff, contractors and visitors in relevant OHS procedures and/or requirements to allow them to carry out their duties in a safe manner OHS training register safe lifting, carrying and handling techniques, including manual handling, and the handling and storage of hazardous substances safe systems and procedures for outdoor work, including protection from solar radiation, fall protection, confined space entry and the protection of people in the workplace systems and procedures for the safe maintenance of property, machinery and equipment, including hydraulics and exposed moving parts the appropriate use, maintenance and storage of PPE. |
ESD principles may include: | control of effluents, chemical residues, contaminants, wastes and pollution improving energy efficiency increasing use of renewable, recyclable and recoverable resources minimising noise, dust, light or odour emissions preventing live cultured or held organisms from escaping into environment reducing energy use reducing emissions of greenhouse gases reducing use of non-renewable resources undertaking environmental hazard identification, risk assessment and control undertaking facility quarantine, biosecurity and translocation of livestock and genetic material using and recycling of water, and maintaining water quality. |
PPE may include: | hard hat or protective head covering non-slip and waterproof boots (gumboots) or other safety footwear protective eyewear, glasses and face mask uniforms, overalls or protective clothing (e.g. mesh and waterproof aprons). |
Algae or live-feed culture may include: | aquatic plants brine shrimp (Artemia and Parartemia) copepods Daphnia feeder fish, usually goldfish or other inexpensive fish (check state/territory animal welfare laws) infusions and bio-fouling inoculation or starter culture, usually an axenic monoculture micro-algae and seaweed (various species) mosquitoes, beetles or other insect (adult or larvae) nematodes polychaetes, oligochaetes and other worms rotifers zooplankton. |
Production schedule may include: | culture method to be used: batch semi-continuous continuous enrichment of natural waters production vessel or structure to be used quality, including bacteria free, growth rate, size and age quantities (i.e. cells/ml, organisms/ml) or weights types of cultures, including species, sizes and ages written instructions and work procedures. |
Production vessel or structure may include: | concrete or earthen ponds fibreglass or plastic tanks glassware plastic bags plastic-lined pools. |
Other equipment may include: | aeration air filters autoclave bottle plugs counters and microscopes flexible tubing greenhouses or hothouses lights measuring cylinders pipettes and syringes production vessel holder temperature-controlled room washing and sterilising equipment water filtration equipment. |
Treated water may include: | aeration chemical (e.g. change pH and hardness) chlorination and de-chlorination heating or cooling micro-filtration pre-conditioning (e.g. left to stand with or without aeration) ultraviolet (UV) and ozone. |
Nutriments may include: | feeds, including micro-algae, pellets, powders and emulsions enrichment formulae green water nutrients, fertilisers or other chemicals. |
Physio-chemical requirements of the culture organism may include: | carbon dioxide chemical, mechanical or biological filtration dissolved oxygen hardness light nitrogenous wastes and contaminants pH salinity temperature water flow. |
Culture period may include: | one to several days for brine shrimp several weeks for micro-algae. |
Indicators of culture health may include: | colour contaminants, including ciliates, males in rotifer cultures and unwanted species in micro-algal cultures density of organisms (i.e. numbers per litre or millilitre) feeding activity flocculation of culture medium growth physical appearance swimming activity. |
Wastes may include: | dead or dying organisms other contaminants, including soil and organic debris uneaten nutriments. |
Harvesting equipment may include: | collection vessels continuous centrifuge counters live feeds: buckets nets, sieves or screens (mesh size generally below 100/mm) micro-algal: buckets pumps siphons pipettes and measuring cylinders washing sieves. |
Sectors
Unit sector | Aquaculture operations |
Employability Skills
This unit contains employability skills. |
Licensing Information
Refer to Unit Descriptor