This competency involves monitoring of aquaculture enterprises, facilities and practices for compliance with a range of legislative and regulatory requirements. These may vary between states and territories and between a state and territory and the commonwealth.

Aquaculture enterprises may be engaged in aquaculture or in holding or displaying ornamental species.

Fisheries compliance officers undertake promotional activities to build awareness of the principles of ecologically sustainable development (ESD) with practising and potential aquaculturalists, and the wider community.

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Identify scope of compliance powers in jurisdiction

1.1. Current legislation, regulations and codes of practice relevant to aquaculture development and production of cultured or held stock are identified.

1.2. Jurisdictional policies and procedures for monitoring non-compliance and responding to reportable events are identified.

2. Promote awareness of compliance in the aquaculture industry

2.1. Aquaculture codes of practice and principles of ESD are promoted to industry and community.

2.2. Protocols for handling the movement of cultured or held stock interstate are promoted to industry and community.

2.3. Consequences of non-compliance are made known to industry and community.

2.4. Timely and relevant responses to enquiries are given.

3. Monitor aquaculture enterprises for compliance

3.1. Routine siteinspections are conducted to ensure compliance with identified legislation, protocols and codes of practice.

3.2. Site inspections are carried out with due regard for the enterprise's hygiene, safety, biosecurity and quality assurance procedures.

3.3. Aquaculture enterprises under development are monitored to ensure licensing terms and conditions are being met.

3.4. Notification of reportable events is received and appropriate action taken.

3.5. Aquaculture compliance monitoring activity reports are prepared and submitted.

Required skills

communicating with aquaculturists on compliance-related matters

monitoring aquaculture and aquatic stock holding or display facilities/sites

monitoring licensing terms and conditions

promoting awareness of aquaculture compliance to industry and community

responding to reportable events.

Literacy skills used for:

reading and interpreting legislation, regulations and codes of practice relevant to aquaculture development and production

reading and interpreting licensing terms and conditions

writing reports on aquaculture compliance monitoring activities.

Numeracy skills used for:

estimating, measuring and calculating volume of effluent discharge

estimating numbers of stock, size of culture structures and aquacultured species.

Required knowledge

basic biology of cultured or held stock in the region:

life cycle

environmental and nutriment requirement of stock at different stages of life cycle

basic knowledge of aquaculture production methods used in the region

basic knowledge of health and disease problems associated with cultured or held stock in the region:

symbionts

toxicants (e.g. chemicals or pollutants) and toxins of biological origin (e.g. toxic algae)

viruses, bacteria, fungi, worms, parasites and predators

common signs and symptoms of ill health in cultured or held stock in the region:

colouring or external appearance of stock

stock behaviour

jurisdictional policies and procedures for monitoring aquaculture compliance

legislation, regulations and codes of practice relevant to aquaculture development and production.

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 ability to:

monitor aquaculture development and production for compliance with relevant legislation, regulations and codes of practice

meet licensing terms and conditions

respond to reportable events.

Assessment must confirm knowledge of:

legislation, regulations and codes of practice

jurisdictional policies and procedures for monitoring aquaculture compliance.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment is to be conducted at the workplace or in a simulated work environment and should cover the range of aquacultured species commonly farmed in the region. It should also cover the range of legislation, regulations, codes of practice and reportable events relevant in the region.

Resources may include:

licensing terms and conditions

range of reportable events.

Method of assessment

The following assessment methods are suggested:

questions

practical exercises or role-plays

demonstration.

Guidance information for assessment

This unit may be assessed holistically with other units within a qualification.

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.

Legislation, regulations and codes of practice may relate to:

development

environmental protection and ESD principles

fisheries, aquaculture, ornamental, holding or display facilities

harbours, navigation and maritime regulations

Indigenous native title, land claims and cultural activities, including fishing by traditional methods

livestock translocation, health treatment, biosecurity and animal welfare.

Aquaculture developmentandproduction may include:

implied individual or corporate ownership of the stock being cultivated

farming, culturing or holding of aquatic organisms

implied interventions in the rearing process to enhance production, such as regular stocking, feeding and protection from predators.

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.

Reportable events may include:

illegal disease treatments

importation of live cultured or held stock

movement of specified species off-farm

notifiable diseases.

Principles of ESD may include:

animal welfare ethics

chemical use and contaminant reduction

collection or disposal of broodstock or seedstock

disposal of effluent and waste:

biohazard (e.g. moribund animals, hormones and chemicals)

from culture structures

nitrogenous waters or sediments

solid and soluble wastes

uneaten food and settled solids

movement of live animals and seedstock

prevention of live culture organisms being introduced into environment

protected species.

Consequences of non-compliance may include:

culling/slaughter and disposal of live stock

expiation fees

monetary fines imposed by court

termination of lease or licence by authorised person.

Siteinspections may include:

associated equipment or systems, such as:

blowers, aerators, paddlewheels and aspirators

greenhouses, hothouses and igloos

pest, predator and disease control structures

water supply, and disposal or effluent systems, including pumps, pipes, canals, channels, settlement ponds and storage dams

culture or holding structures or systems, such as:

cages, pontoons, enclosures and pens, including associated moorings, anchors, floats and markers

dams, ponds and pools

display tanks, aquaria and aquascapes

grow out facilities, hatcheries and nurseries

harvesting swimways, canals or channels

live holding tanks, bins, cages and pens

longlines, posts, racks and rails, rafts, fences, socks, trays, sticks, baskets, modules, barrels, bags and panels

open, flow-through, closed and semi-closed systems

purging or depurating systems

tanks, raceways and recirculating systems

offshore and inshore

on-land, lakes, streams, rivers, dams and reservoirs.

Licensing terms and conditions may include:

meeting the development schedule as determined under legislation relevant to aquaculture development

requirements for treatment of effluent and other wastes

security arrangements

stocking densities

time within which construction must commence

use of chemicals.

Appropriate action (on receiving notification of a reportable event) may include:

call in health and environmental experts

call in veterinary assistance

establishing and maintaining quarantine

organising and supervising culling or slaughter of stock.

Unit sector

Fisheries compliance

This unit contains employability skills.