Application
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. |
Elements and Performance Criteria
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
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. |
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 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. |
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. | |
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. |
Sectors
Unit sector | Fisheries compliance |
Employability Skills
This unit contains employability skills. |
Licensing Information
Refer to Unit Descriptor