Profession water-based aquaculture worker

Water-based aquaculture workers carry out manual activities in the ongrowing processes of cultured aquatic organisms in water-based suspended systems (floating or submerged structures). They participate in extraction operations and the handling of organisms for commercialisation. Water-based aquaculture workers maintain and clean facilities (nets, mooring ropes, cages)..

Personality Type

• Realistic / Conventional
• Realistic / Enterprising

Knowledge

• Operation of transport equipment

  Use of transportation gear, such as car, forklift, truck, tractor, trailer, convoy.

• Operation of lifting gears

  Use of different types of lifting gears, such as winches, telescopic loaders, sea cranes, forklift trucks.

• Pedagogy

  The discipline that concerns the theory and practice of education including the various instructional methods for educating individuals or groups.

• Fish welfare regulations

  The set of rules that apply in fish harvesting methods which ensure fish well-being.

• Rope manipulation

  Rope manipulation which relates to knotting and splicing.

Skills

• Carry out preparations for fish disease specialist

  Prepare environment and equipment for fish disease specialist treatments, including vaccination treatments.

• Operate small craft

  Operate small craft used for transport and feeding.

• Collect growth rate information

  Collect information on growth rate in farm aquatic species.

• Carry out shellfish depuration procedures

  Carry out shellfish depuration procedures. Load and unload shellfish for depuration.

• Maintain shellfish depuration equipment

  Maintain shellfish depuration equipment, clean, uv lamps.

• Measure the impact of specific aquaculture activity

  Identify and measure the biological, physico-chemical impacts of specific aquaculture farm activity on the environment. Carry out all necessary tests, including collection and processing of samples for analysis.

• Operate hatchery trays

  Fill hatchery trays with fertilised eggs and place trays in incubation troughs.

• Preserve fish samples for diagnosis

  Collect and preserve larval, fish and mollusc samples or lesions for diagnosis by fish disease specialists.

• Swim

  Move through water by means of the limbs.

• Carry out standard aquaculture stock health operations

  Perform activities that ensure monitoring and implementation of aquaculture health standards and health analysis of the fish population.

• Measure water quality parameters

  Quality assure water by taking into consideration various elements, such as temperature.

• Carry out fish disease prevention measures

  Carry out disease prevention measures for fish, molluscs, and crustaceans for land-based and water-based aquaculture facilities.

• Stock fish into holding units

  Stock fish into holding units and maintain good environmental condition within the holding unit.

• Operate fish capture equipment

  Operate fish capture equipment, for grading, sampling or harvesting purposes.

• Collect live fish

  ​Gather fish using techniques which minimise the stress caused to fish and avoid fish escapes occurring.

• Transport fish

  Transport live and harvested fish, molluscs, crustaceans from farm to client.

• Prepare fish holding units

  Prepare fish holding units to receive fish. Conduct swim throughs.

• Assess cage water quality

  Analyse the quality of water by monitoring the state of temperature and oxygen, among other parameters.

• Carry out fish transportation

  Can manually lift, transfer, position and set down a load, using lifting gears such as forklifts, winches, sea cranes and others. Can operate equipment used in the transportation of fish, shellfish, crustaceans and others, such as trucks, tractors, trailers, conveyers, etc.

• Collect dead fish

  Gather dead fish in recipients like tanks and cages.

• Apply standard feeding and nutrition protocols

  Make up feed on-site. Feed animals by hand or with feeding machines according to agreed protocols. Monitor animal feeding behaviour.

• Work in a fishery team

  Work as part of a crew or team, and meet team deadlines and responsibilities together.

• Harvest live aquatic species

  Prepare for harvesting live species. Harvest live aquatic species including shellfish for human consumption.

• Prepare for small craft operation

  Prepare for personnel operation of small craft, both with licence and without licence.

• Collect biological data

  Collect biological specimens, record and summarise biological data for use in technical studies, developing environmental management plans and biological products.

• Maintain waterbased aquaculture facilities

  Clean off fouling and maintain floating and submerged aquaculture structures. Repair floating and submerged aquaculture structures. 

• Transfer fish

  Transfer fully grown fish to a body of water, using a tank truck.

• Prepare aquatic animals for harvesting

  Grade fish, molluscs, crustaceans manually and using equipment in preparation for harvesting.

• Observe abnormal fish behaviour

  Observe, describe and monitor abnormal fish behaviour in respect of feeding, swimming, surfacing.

• Prepare fish treatment facilities

  Prepare fish treatment facilities to effectively isolate contaminated fish during treatment. Control the application of treatments to avoid contaminating other stock, containers and the wider environment.

• Measure water flow

  Measure water flow, water intakes and catchments.

• Collect fish samples for diagnosis

  Collect fish and shellfish samples for diagnosis by fish diseases specialists.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB