Aquaculture recirculation technician

Description

Aquaculture recirculation technicians operate and control the production processes of aquatic organisms in land-based recirculation systems, which utilise water re-use processes and the operation of pumping, aerating, heating, lighting and biofilter equipment as well as backup power systems.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to aquaculture recirculation technician:

fish farm recirculation technician
technician in aquaculture recirculation
fishery recirculation technician

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Aquaculture recirculation technician is a Skill level 2 occupation.

Aquaculture recirculation technician career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to aquaculture recirculation technician.

aquaculture rearing technician
aquaculture hatchery technician
aquaculture husbandry technician
aquaculture mooring manager
aquaculture cage technician

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of aquaculture recirculation technician. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of aquaculture recirculation technician with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

wastewater treatment operator
aquaculture site supervisor
water plant technician
aquaculture quality supervisor
footwear quality control laboratory technician

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of aquaculture recirculation technician.

  • Water chemistry analysis: Principles of complex water chemistry.
  • Animal welfare legislation: The legal boundaries, codes of professional conduct, national and EU regulatory frameworks and legal procedures of working with animals and living organisms, ensuring their welfare and health.
  • Fish biology: The study of fish, shellfish or crustacean organisms, categorized into many specialised fields that cover their morphology, physiology, anatomy, behaviour, origins and distribution.
  • Assessment of risks and threats: The security documentation and any security-related communications and information.
  • Fish welfare regulations: The set of rules that apply in fish harvesting methods which ensure fish well-being.
  • Recirculation systems: The characteristics and functioning of complex circulation, aeration and biofilter systems.
  • Water reuse: Principles of water re-use processes in complex circulation systems.
  • Aquatic resources biosecurity: The principles underlying the concept of biosecurity in relation to the cultivation of aquatic resources as cash crops.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of aquaculture recirculation technician.

  • Interpret scientific data to assess water quality: Analyse and interpret data like biological properties to know the quality of water.
  • Monitor fish mortality rates: Monitor fish mortalities and assess possible causes.
  • Participate in the organisation of emergency drills: Participate in preparing and executing emergency drills. Take charge of on-scene response actions. Help ensure that written drill reports are logged properly. Make sure that all personnel adhere to pre-planned emergency procedures as carefully as possible in the event of an emergency situation.
  • Monitor fish health status: Monitor the health of fish, based on feeding and general behaviour. Interpret environmental parameters and analyse mortalities.
  • Measure water quality parameters: Quality assure water by taking into consideration various elements, such as temperature.
  • Monitor feeding behaviour: Monitor feeding behaviour of farm animals. Collect information on the growth of the animals, and forecast future growth. Monitor and assess biomass taking mortality into account.
  • Preserve fish samples for diagnosis: Collect and preserve larval, fish and mollusc samples or lesions for diagnosis by fish disease specialists.
  • Draw up risk assessment: Assess risks, propose improvements and describe measures to be taken at the organisational level.
  • Maintain recirculation systems: Monitor and maintain water circulation within holding units. Monitor the condition of the water filtering and purification equipment.
  • Identify risks in aquaculture facilities: Identify the hazards and evaluate the risks to health and safety in aquaculture facilities.
  • Operate control systems: Configure and operate electrical, electronic and control equipment.
  • Make time-critical decisions: Pursue optimal time-critical decision making within the organisation.
  • Carry out fish disease prevention measures: Carry out disease prevention measures for fish, molluscs, and crustaceans for land-based and water-based aquaculture facilities.
  • Apply fish treatments: Apply prescribed fish treatments under supervision, including assistance with vaccination immersion and injection procedures.
  • Operate hatchery recirculation system: Efficiently operate a hatchery recirculation system for specified aquatic organisms
  • Write work-related reports: Compose work-related reports that support effective relationship management and a high standard of documentation and record keeping. Write and present results and conclusions in a clear and intelligible way so they are comprehensible to a non-expert audience.
  • Maintain specified water characteristics: Turn valves and place baffles in troughs to adjust the volume, depth, discharge, and temperature of water as specified.
  • Monitor growth rates of cultivated fish species: Monitor and assess growth rates and biomass of cultivated fish species, taking mortalities into account. Calculate and forecast growth rates. Monitor and assess mortalities.
  • Work as a team: To recognize the importance of team work, building and maintaining effective working relationships with all colleagues and within the business.
  • Monitor water quality: Measure water quality: temperature, oxygen, salinity, pH, N2, NO2,NH4, CO2, turbidity, chlorophyll. Monitor microbiological water quality.
  • Perform water chemistry analysis: Perform water chemistry analysis
  • Collect biological data: Collect biological specimens, record and summarise biological data for use in technical studies, developing environmental management plans and biological products.
  • Control fish diseases: Identify the symptoms of fish diseases. Apply appropriate measures to treat or eliminate diagnosed conditions.
  • Implement fin fish feeding regimes: Implement daily fin fish feeding regimes to take account of environmental variations. Check feeding regimes are followed through the accurate implementation of feeding procedures. Implement adjustments to feeding regimes to take account of fluctuations in production performance and variations in environmental conditions. Control specialist feeding regimes to support specified production requirements. Investigate changes in feeding behaviour to determine cause and required corrective action.
  • Ensure aquaculture personnel health and safety: Make sure that health and safety procedures have been established and followed across all aquaculture facilities including cages. Ensure that personnel and general public are instructed and all work activities are carried out according to relevant health and safety regulations.
  • Use IT tools: Application of computers, computer networks and other information technologies and equipment to storing, retrieving, transmitting and manipulating data, in the context of a business or enterprise.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of aquaculture recirculation technician. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

  • Create solutions to problems: Solve problems which arise in planning, prioritising, organising, directing/facilitating action and evaluating performance. Use systematic processes of collecting, analysing, and synthesising information to evaluate current practice and generate new understandings about practice.
  • Plan team building: Encourage team members and build a relationship of mutual trust, respect and cooperation.
  • Communicate verbal instructions: Communicate transparent instructions. Ensure that messages are understood and followed correctly.
  • Lead a team: Lead, supervise and motivate a group of people, in order to meet the expected results within a given timeline and with the foreseen resources in mind.
  • Maintain internal communication systems: Maintain an effective internal communication system among employees and department managers.
  • Observe abnormal fish behaviour: Observe, describe and monitor abnormal fish behaviour in respect of feeding, swimming, surfacing.
  • Plan the work of teams and individuals: Plan the work of teams and individuals. Assess the work of teams and individuals. Provide feedback to teams and individuals on work carried out. Support and mentor individuals and teams. Prepare work instructions for new tasks.
  • Conduct fish mortality studies: Collect fish mortality data. Identify causes of mortality and provide solutions .
  • Use communication devices: Operate communication devices in order to interact with customers, colleagues, and others.
  • Screen live fish deformities: Screen for deformities in live fish including larvae
  • Develop work plans to solve problems: Ability to develop specific goals and plans to prioritise, organise, and accomplish work.
  • Provide training: Provide training and orientation to new team members, or assign this task to an appropriately experienced team member.
  • Provide on-site training in aquaculture facilities: Provide on-site training in aquaculture facilities, through instruction and demonstration of skills. Provide, implement and supervise a training development plan.
  • Communicate in English in a competent way: Competent use of English; R351refers to level C1 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

ISCO group and title

6221 – Aquaculture workers


References
  1. Aquaculture recirculation technician – ESCO
Last updated on October 28, 2022

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