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.

Production schedule:
· production vessel or structure to use
· production method:
· batch
· semi-continuous
· continuous
· other
· types of cultures, including species, sizes and ages
· quantities (i.e. cells/ml, organisms/ml)
· quality, including bacteria free, growth rate and size or age.

Production vessels or structures:
· glassware
· fibreglass or plastic tanks
· plastic bags
· plastic-lined pools
· concrete or earthen ponds.

Other equipment:
· aeration
· lights
· production vessel holder
· temperature-controlled room.

Treated water:
· ozone
· preconditioning (left to stand with aeration)
· micro-filtration
· aeration
· chemical (change pH, hardness)
· heating or cooling.

Physio-chemical requirements of the culture organism:
· mechanical or biological filtration
· dissolved oxygen
· temperature
· salinity
· pH
· water flow
· carbon dioxide
· light
· nutriment formulae or media.

Inoculation cultures:
· various species of micro-algae
· rotifers
· copepods
· Daphnia
· brine shrimp (Artemia and Parartemia)
· zooplankton
· mosquitos, beetles or other insects
· polychaetes
· nematodes.

Nutriment formulae or media:
· nutrients, fertilisers or other chemicals
· feeds, including micro-algae, pellets, powders and emulsions
· enrichment formulae.

Culture health:
· density of organisms (i.e. numbers per litre or millilitre)
· swimming activity
· feeding activity
· growth and appearance
· contaminants, including ciliates, males in rotifer cultures and unwanted species in micro-algal cultures.

OHS requirements:
· codes of practice, regulations and/or guidance notes that may apply in a jurisdiction
· enterprise-specific.

Harvesting equipment:
· buckets
· pumps
· siphons
· nets, sieves or screens (mesh size generally below 100µm)
· scoops.

Wastes:
· dead or dying organisms
· uneaten nutriments
· other contaminants, including soil and organic debris.

ESD principles:
· controlling effluent waste and reducing contaminants
· preventing live culture organisms being introduced into the environment
· disposing of dead plant or animal matter.

Repairs and maintenance report:
· equipment problems
· regular maintenance and repairs.

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:
· operation process for effective production of algal or live-feed cultures including setting up, initiating and breeding, monitoring health and growth, harvesting and cleaning up
· physio-chemical requirements for the culture species
· inoculation culture required to achieve stocking density
· nutriment formulae or media requirements for species during culture period.

Practical skills
The essential skills a person needs to perform work to the required standard include:
· supervising others
· recognising signs of health or ill health in species
· altering the physio-chemical environment and nutriment formulae or media to meet the species' requirements throughout the culture period.

Literacy skills used for:
· reading the production schedule
· recording information relating to algal or live-feed production and harvest
· writing reports for management on the algal or live-feed production process.

Numeracy skills used for:
· calculating volumes
· calculating inoculation culture to achieve desired stocking density
· calculating the culture period for the species
· completing production records.

Critical aspects of competence
Assessment must confirm the ability to:
· treat culture water
· prepare nutriment formulae or media
· monitor all aspects of the production process
· supervise staff to achieve the efficient and successful production of algal or live-feed cultures.

Assessment must confirm knowledge of:
· operation process for effective production of algal or live-feed cultures, including setting up, initiating and breeding, monitoring health and growth, harvesting and cleaning up.

Interdependent assessment of units
This unit may be assessed after/with:
· SFIAQUA308B - Maintain water quality and environmental monitoring.

Context of assessment
Assessment is to be conducted at the workplace or in a simulated work environment. The inoculation cultures used should reflect those typically grown by aquaculture enterprises in the region.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
· written or oral short-answer testing
· practical exercises
· project work related to on-site scenario or based on a case study.

Resources required for assessment
Resources may include:
· production vessels and water treatments
· production and harvest equipment
· inoculum culture
· nutriment formulae or media
· staff to supervise
· water-sampling tests
· monitoring equipment.