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.

Material:
· gill netting:
· monofilament
· multi-monofilament
· trawl and purse seine netting:
· knotted and knotless netting
· braided twine
· twisted twine
· polyethylene (PE)
· polyamide (nylon) (PA)
· strengthening ropes.

Tools:
· netting needles:
· bone
· flat
· knives
· scissors
· measuring devices:
· marked rod
· mesh gauge
· ruler
· stands
· tensioning devices.

Efficiency:
· posture of workers
· safety of working area
· proximity to resources
· worker comfort
· speed of work.

Repair operation:
· holes
· rips
· patches
· joining two panels with:
· sewing
· lacing
· additional strengthening ropes
· different sized meshes
· patching.

Measuring:
· twine:
· ply
· diameter
· tex, Rtex
· material type:
· PE
· PA
· monofilament
· braided
· twisted
· mesh size for mending purposes
· mesh size for fisheries regulation purposes.

Prepared:
· knots:
· cleaned off
· remaining
· starting point
· end point
· all other meshes either:
· points or
· meshes.

Shaped:
· all meshes
· all points
· all bars
· combinations of above to form tapers.

Strengthened:
· selvedge
· bordered with stronger netting
· double twine
· gathering meshes
· strengthening ropes.

Secured:
· double sheet bend
· sheet bend with overhand knot.

Knots:
· double sheet bend
· sheet bend tied horizontally and vertically
· side knot:
· net maker's
· 2 half hitches
· rolling hitch or hanging knots
· baiting
· joining (fisherman's) knot
· sewn with meshes horizontal
· sewn with meshes vertical.

Netting:
· regular meshes of netting
· meshes running through a join in two panels
· meshes along the side of a panel:
· all bar taper decreasing along a hung edge
· all bar taper increasing along a hung edge
· combinations of points, meshes and bars to form a taper.

Joined:
· mesh to mesh
· point to point
· taper to taper
· gathering meshes together.

Lacing:
· temporary mending
· in seine netting
· two panels together
· including strengthening ropes.

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 underpinning knowledge identified for this unit goes to more depth due to its likely inclusion in a group of units that may be used as the basis for the issue of licences by regulatory bodies.

The essential knowledge and understanding a person needs to perform work to the required standard include:
· factors which contribute to an efficient, fast and safe net mending job
· naming, identifying and understanding different netting terms
· order in which knots are tied to form netting material
· recognising polyethylene and polyamide netting
· measuring different types of netting
· using a taper table to design netting panels of a required depth, width or taper
· how a gear plan describes a net.

Practical skills
The essential skills a person needs to perform work to the required standards include:
· using the net mending tools listed in the range of variables
· preparing repair jobs by establishing start and end points and either meshes or points in between
· cutting tapers into netting material
· strengthening netting material
· mending rips and holes by sewing twine and knots listed
· repairing large scale damage to netting material by sewing in patches and panels
· mending damage to hung areas of netting
· joining panels of netting of different sized meshes.

Literacy skills used for:
· reading tables describing the effect of tapers on panel shape
· interpreting the abbreviations on a gear plan.

Numeracy skills used for:
· counting the ply of twine
· measuring the diameter of twine
· counting meshes
· calculating joining ratios.

Critical aspects of competence
Assessment must confirm the ability to:
· repair various types of damage that occurs to the netting material used for fish or prawn trawls, purse seines, beach seines or gill nets
· mend damage to hung areas of netting
· repair large scale damage to netting material by sewing in patches and panels
· mend rips in netting.

Assessment must confirm knowledge of:
· how a gear plan describes a net.

Interdependent assessment of units
This unit may be assessed with:
· SFIFISH203B - Maintain, prepare, deploy and retrieve trawls to land catch
· SFIFISH207B - Maintain, prepare, deploy and retrieve beach seine or gill nets to land catch.
· SFIFISH208B - Maintain, prepare, deploy and retrieve purse seines to land catch

Context of assessment
Assessment is to be conducted at the workplace or in a simulated work environment.

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

Resources required for assessment
Resources may include:
· different types of netting requiring repair
· fully operational net repair area.