SFIAQUA309C
Oversee harvest and post-harvest activities

This unit of competency involves overseeing the harvesting of cultured or held stock, basic post-harvest activities and transportation off the facility. It covers conveying information, selecting equipment and method of operation, monitoring stock being harvested and, where required, some post-harvest operations. Licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements may apply to this unit. Therefore it will be necessary to check with the relevant state or territory regulators for current licensing, legislative or regulatory requirements before undertaking this unit.

Application

This unit has application for harvest and post-harvest activities only. Processing activities, such as cooking, gill gutting, scaling, filleting, shucking, peeling or heading are covered in seafood processing units.

The humane killing or slaughter of livestock is covered by RTE3134A Slaughter livestock. The preparation and packing of livestock for off-facility transport is covered by SFISTOR204A Prepare, pack and dispatch stock for live transport. Coordination of staff is covered by RTE3704A Coordinate worksite activities.

Licences may be required if:

using firearms

operating forklifts

diving

driving vehicles

operating vessels.

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, food safety and hygiene regulations and procedures, 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. Plan and organise for basic harvest and post-harvest activities

1.1. Harvest specifications are interpreted and confirmed with senior personnel.

1.2. Availability of suitable stock for harvest is confirmed.

1.3. Resource requirements for harvest are determined and arranged.

1.4. Risk factors which could affect the quality of stock during harvest are identified and plans made to minimise risk.

1.5. Equipment is checked for availability and serviceability and repaired.

1.6. Stock transport and holding arrangements are confirmed with operators.

2. Undertake harvest

2.1. Equipment is positioned, calibrated and operated.

2.2. Harvesting activities are monitored to ensure consistency with harvest specifications and minimal stock stress or damage.

2.3. Harvest quantity, quality and size are confirmed and records prepared.

2.4. Harvested stock is confirmed as complying with customer quality specifications.

3. Undertake on-farm post-harvest activities

3.1. On-farm post-harvest activities are monitored to ensure consistency with harvest specifications.

3.2. Transport (off-farm) of dead or live stock is arranged and packing monitored to ensure minimal stock stress or damage.

3.3. Labels and documentation are prepared and attached to transport containers according to client specifications.

3.4. Containers for pick-up are checked and counted.

3.5. Shipment is collected and shipment report given to senior personnel.

3.6. Storage facilities for product are maintained.

4. Supervise follow-up activities and review operations

4.1. Clean up of work area, including repairs and storage of equipment, is supervised and condition report prepared.

4.2. Relevant harvest and post-harvest 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 harvest and post-harvest, and recommendations made for improvements.

4.4. Options for improving efficiency through mechanisation or automation of process or activity, and use of specialised contract staff are researched and presented to senior personnel as potential improvements.

4.5. Staff are given feedback on their work performance.

Required Skills

Required skills

communicating with senior personnel on harvest specifications, labour and resource requirements

coordinating harvest, post-harvest and transport activities, and staff

providing feedback to staff on performance

providing relevant paperwork for transport operators

recognising normal and abnormal stock behaviour and risky or changing environmental conditions

reporting orally and in writing on harvest and post-harvest to senior personnel

researching options for improvement.

Literacy skills used for:

interpreting a harvest schedule

preparing relevant paperwork for transport operators

researching mechanisation or automation options

writing reports to senior personnel on harvesting operation, including post-harvesting irregularities.

Numeracy skills used for:

calculating size, grades, ranges and averages

counting stock and containers

recording harvest and post-harvest data.

Required knowledge

biological and water quality requirements for stock being handled, processed and transported

harvest and post-harvest equipment options and limitations, including options for mechanisation or automation of process, and services provided by specialised contract services

harvesting and post-harvest principles and practices for specific stock types and culture or holding structures

safety considerations and hazards associated with harvest and post harvest activities

services provided by specialised contract services

quality assurance practices in stock harvesting, grading, post-harvest and transport

relevant ESD principles particularly humane slaughter methods.

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:

coordinate the harvest of stock and post-harvest activities, including

sorting and grading

holding and removal from water/holding facility

on-farm transport

monitor and test quality

monitor holding conditions

monitor storage conditions.

Assessment must confirm knowledge of:

harvest and post-harvest principles and practices

OHS standards consistent with harvest schedule and operational guidelines

risks and mitigation procedures.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment is to be conducted at the workplace while harvest and post-harvest activities are underway or in a simulated environment.

Resources may include:

harvest specification or schedule

staff to coordinate

stock to harvest.

Method of assessment

The following assessment methods are suggested:

demonstration

practical exercises

written or oral short-answer testing.

Guidance information for assessment

This unit may be assessed holistically with RTE3704A Coordinate worksite activities, and 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.

Cultured or held stock may include:

adults, broodstock (ready to breed), seedstock or stockers, eggs and sperm, fertilised eggs, larvae, post-larvae, seed, spat, hatchlings, yearlings, juveniles, fry, fingerlings, yearlings, smolt, sporophytes, seedlings and tissue cultures

finfish, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatic reptiles, amphibians, polychaete and oligochaete worms, plankton, micro-algae, seaweed, aquatic plants, live rock, sponges and other aquatic invertebrates

for human consumption (seafood), stockers for other farms, stockers for conservation or recreational fishing, display or companion animals (ornamentals), and other products, including pearls, skins, shells, eggs, chemicals and pigments

wild caught, hatchery or nursery reared.

Basic post-harvest activities may include:

anaesthesia or sedation

cool room storage

depuration or shellfish sanitation

dips, drips and sprays

icing, chilling, ice slurry or refrigeration

meeting quarantine or biosecurity requirements

on-facility transport of livestock or product

packing

preparation for off-facility transport of dead stock or product

purging or holding (live)

sorting, grading or removing half pearls from molluscs

washing, cleaning and hydrating.

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

correct marketing names and labelling

environmental hazard identification, risk assessment and control

food safety/Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), hygiene and temperature control along chain of custody, and Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) Export Control (Fish) orders

health and welfare of aquatic animals

maritime operations, safety at sea and pollution control

OHS hazard identification, risk assessment and control.

OHS guidelines may include:

appropriate workplace provision of first aid kits and fire extinguishers

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.

Food safety and hygiene regulations and procedures may include:

Australian Shellfish Sanitation program

equipment design, use, cleaning and maintenance

exporting requirements, including AQIS Export Control (Fish) orders

HACCP, food safety program, and other risk minimisation and quality assurance systems

location, construction and servicing of seafood premises

people, product and place hygiene and sanitation requirements

Primary Products Standard and the Australian Seafood Standard (voluntary)

product labelling, tracing and recall

receipt, storage and transportation of food, including seafood and aquatic products

requirements set out in Australian and New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) Food Standards Code and state and territory food regulations

temperature and contamination control along chain of custody.

ESD principles may include:

adhering to protected areas, marine or land parks

adhering to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), the Ramsar Convention, World Heritage and other international treaties for which Australia is a signatory

adhering to translocation of livestock and genetic material, and health certification

applying animal welfare ethics for handling, holding and slaughter

appropriate disposal of waste feeds, mortalities and other dead biological matter

facility quarantine, biosecurity and control of weeds, pests, predators and diseases

genetically modified organisms, biodiversity and conservation Acts

implications on biodiversity and protecting native and protected species

imports quarantine and inspection, and approved arrangements for AQIS, Australian Customs Service (ACS) and Biosecurity Australia (BA)

managing, controlling and treating effluent waste and reducing contaminants

minimising noise and exhaust or odour emissions

minimising the unsafe use and disposal of maintenance debris, such as oil containers and chemical residues, and hazardous substances, such as fuel and oils

monitoring and controlling biological oxygen demand (BOD) of effluent water

reducing damage to native vegetation and animals

reducing dust problems, soil disturbance and increased run-off flows from machinery use and unsafe cleaning and servicing activities

reducing live cultured or held organisms from escaping into environment

refuelling and bunkering, and control of pollution at sea

sustainable fisheries requirements, such as size limits, quotas, season restrictions, population dynamics, fishing impacts and fisheries management strategies

using and recycling water, and reducing energy use.

PPE may include:

buoyancy vest or personal floatation device (PFD)

gloves, mitts or gauntlets, and protective hand and arm covering

hearing protection (e.g. ear plugs and ear muffs)

hard hat or protective head covering

insulated protective clothing for freezers or chillers and refrigeration units

non-slip and waterproof boots (gumboots) or other safety footwear

personal locator beacon or Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB)

protective eyewear, glasses and face mask

protective hair, beard and boot covers

protective outdoor clothing for tropical conditions

respirator or face mask

safety harness

sun protection (e.g. sun hat, sunscreen and sunglasses)

waterproof clothing (e.g. wet weather gear and waders).

Harvest specifications may include:

acceptable quality specifications

culture or holding structures to be harvested

destination of harvested stock

harvesting objectives:

gathering stock

cleaning, moving and handling stock

holding stock

sorting and grading stock

period over which harvest is to occur

pre-harvest conditioning of stock (e.g. starvation and purging)

quantities to be harvested

slaughter procedures

temperature requirements (e.g. ice and slurries)

timing of harvest

written or verbal.

Resource requirements may include:

boxes and packing materials

depuration or purging facilities

half pearl harvesting equipment

harvesting equipment:

bait, attractants and foods

crowd nets and fish pumps or brails

dilly nets, drop nets, scoop nets, trawl/prawn nets, cast nets, gill nets, traps (e.g. bait and opera house traps) and wing nets

flow traps

handlines and fishing lines

hides (used with dip nets)

holding and on-farm transport equipment:

bins

buckets

tanks

troughs

labour:

forklift operators

harvest workers

specialised equipment operators

transport operators

vessel operators

ice and coolants

slaughter and sedation/chilling equipment

vessels, vehicles, trucks and trailers.

Risk factors may include:

adverse climatic conditions

equipment damage or breakdown

OHS

predator attack/damage

stock damage and mortalities

stock escape.

Quality specifications may include:

body condition (e.g. fat content and meat yield)

general condition

live or dead

percentage acceptable

physical appearance, type and extent of external damage

parasites (present) or other health issues (e.g. mud worm, gill crustaceans and lice)

sex or maturation condition

shape or colour

size or weight

whole or processed.

Live stock may include:

crustaceans

finfish

live-feeds or algae

molluscs

ornamentals.

Labels and documentation may include:

destination details, including contact number

dispatching company details, including contact and emergency numbers

farm, facility or lease number or details

transport company, including contact number

type of stock and grade, quality or size

warning labels (e.g. 'live seafood', 'keep cool' and 'fragile').

Shipment report may include:

destination

quality and quantity of stock sent

special conditions or observations.

Storage facilities may include:

aeration or oxygenation

dry (in air)

heating

humidity

refrigeration and chilling

snap and deep freeze

wet (in water).

Condition report may include:

backup equipment availability

equipment problems

regular maintenance and repairs

repairer's contact numbers.


Sectors

Unit sector

Aquaculture operations


Employability Skills

This unit contains employability skills.


Licensing Information

Refer to Unit Descriptor