Elements and Performance Criteria

The range of variables places the competency in context and allows for differences between enterprises and workplaces, including practices, knowledge and requirements. The range of variables also provides a focus for assessment and relates to the unit as a whole. The following variables may be present.

Monitoring schedule:
· culture structures and monitoring site
· equipment required
· basic water quality factors
· environmental and weather conditions
· time of day, frequency and monitoring period
· general observations, such as state or activity of culture equipment, behaviour and health of stock.

Stock:
· finfish, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatic reptiles, amphibians, miscellaneous aquatic invertebrates, microalgae, seaweeds, aquatic plants
· adults, larvae, seed, spat, hatchlings, broodstock, juveniles, fry, fingerlings, sporophytes, seedlings.

Stock behaviour:
· feeding
· swimming, crawling or gaping (bivalves)
· piping, darting, flashing or whirling movement
· schooling or individuals
· colour changes
· aggressive or cannibalistic
· reproduction or courtship.

General health:
· growth rates
· general appearance (colour, appendages, external parasites, skin or shell damage).

Basic water quality factors:
· dissolved oxygen
· hardness, carbonate hardness
· ammonia, total ammonia and nitrogen
· nitrite
· nitrate
· alkalinity
· temperature
· salinity
· pH
· turbidity, (secchi disc, transparency).

Environmental parameters:
· climatic conditions (rainfall, amount of cloud cover, wind direction and speed)
· tidal flow direction and speed
· wave size and direction
· activity of pests and predators
· natural foods
· contaminants
· light
· dissolved oxygen
· pH
· conductivity
· salinity
· temperature.

Basic equipment:
· electronic machines or meters to measure:
· dissolved oxygen
· pH
· conductivity
· salinity
· temperature
· litmus paper, pH test kit
· thermometer
· refractometer, density stick, hydrometer.
· secchi disc
· chemical test kits
· sampling nets
· sample jars or buckets
· water collector
· measuring devices:
· volumetric
· scales
· ruler.

Calibrations:
Adjustment of pH references, or other settings for calibration and preparations of calibration solution for calibration of NO2 meter.

Basic repairs:
· replacement of probes
· replacement of cable.

Data or record sheets or books:
· date, time
· person's name, signature
· monitoring schedule
· basic parameters to be measured
· general observations.

Monitoring site:
· within or external to culture structure
· inlet or effluent water
· upstream/downstream of culture structure
· on- or off-farm (samples taken for measurement in laboratory).

Each unit of competency has an evidence guide that relates directly to the performance criteria and the range of variables. Its purpose is to guide assessment of the unit in the workplace and/or training program. The following components provide information to assist this purpose.

Underpinning knowledge
The essential knowledge and understanding a person needs to perform work to the required standard include:
· basic water quality factors and their impact on stock health
· effects of environmental parameters and weather conditions on stock and Occupational Health and Safety
· effects of farm wastes or effluent on environment
· basic water quality tests to be undertaken
· basic monitoring equipment options and limitations
· basic monitoring equipment calibration and operating methods
· basic monitoring equipment maintenance and basic repairs
· normal and abnormal stock behaviour
· basic sampling equipment options and limitations
· basic sampling equipment maintenance and basic repairs.

Practical skills
The essential skills a person needs to perform work to the required standards include:
· operating, maintaining and calibrating basic monitoring equipment
· recognising normal and abnormal stock behaviour and environmental conditions
· collecting samples of stock
· collecting water and other environmental samples.

Licences may be required if operating:
· vessels
· vehicles.

Literacy skills used for:
· recording monitoring information
· recording and reviewing water quality data or environmental condition
· reading and interpreting a monitoring schedule and enterprise procedures.

Numeracy skills used for:
· reading machines, meters or test kits
· basic calculations used in measuring water quality and dilutions.

Critical aspects of competence
Assessment must confirm the ability to:
· monitor stock behaviour and general health, basic water quality factors and environmental parameters for indications that they are outside of the acceptable range as determined by the enterprise.

Assessment must confirm knowledge of:
· stock behaviour and general health and how it is affected by changes in water quality
· water quality factors and environmental parameters relevant to the aquaculture enterprise
· sampling and monitoring procedures relevant to the aquaculture enterprise.

Interdependent assessment of units
This unit may be assessed after/with:
· SIFAQUA209B - Manipulate stock culture environment.

Context of assessment
Assessment is to be conducted at the workplace while monitoring is undertaken, or in a simulated work environment. It is best done over a series of monitoring sessions.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
· written or oral short-answer testing
· project work or practical exercises
· observation of practical demonstration.

Resources required for assessment
Resources may include:
· culture structures with or in water containing stock exhibiting a range of quality parameters
· monitoring schedules
· environmental parameter range for stock species and culture structure
· range for water quality factors
· monitoring and sampling equipment for culture stock and water
· test kits
· data sheets for recording information.