Profession aquaculture production manager

Aquaculture production managers plan, direct and coordinate the production of fish, shellfish or other forms of aquatic life such as cash crops, in large-scale aquaculture operations to culture and harvest or for release into fresh, brackish or salt water. 

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Personality Type

• Enterprising / Realistic

Knowledge

• Environmental legislation

  The environmental policies and legislation applicable in a certain domain.

• Aquaculture production planning software

  The functioning principles and usage of a software dedicated to the planning of aquculture production.

• Aquaculture reproduction

  The techniques used to induce spawning, spawning on nests, stripping using appropriate techniques for specific species of fish, molluscs, crustaceans and others. The environmental control of spawning, the use of hormones to induce reproduction and the broodstock recruitment by genetic selection.

• Understand fresh water ecosystems

  Understand fresh water ecosystems.

• Rates of growth assessment

  The different methods used to evaluate the growth of most important cultivated species.

• Principles of insurance

  Understand the principles of insurance, including third party liability, stock and facilities.

• 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 harvesting methods

  Knowledge of up-to-date fish harvesting methods.

• Escapee contingency plans

  The procedures to follow in case there are escapees from cage systems.

• Shellfish cultivation systems

  Technical design principles of shellfish cultivation systems, such as longline, Bouchot, tressels, suspended culture, tables, bottom culture.

• Biosecurity

  Be aware of the general principles of the concept of bio-security and in particular, the disease prevention rules to be implemented in case of epidemics endangering public health.

• Quality standards applicable to aquaculture products

  Quality schemes, label rouge, ISO systems, HACCP procedures, bio/organic status, traceability labels.

• Design principles of containment systems

  The design elements of different containment systems, such as cages, pens, nets, ponds and tanks.

• Husbandry and harvesting effects on aquatic resources

  Understand husbandry and harvesting effects on aquatic resources, fish, molluscs and crustaceans.

• Fish grading

  The method of how fish are graded according to their different characteristics: specification, size, quality and condition.

• 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.

Skills

• Supervise waste disposal

  Supervise disposal of biological waste and chemical waste according to regulations.

• Manage a small-to-medium business

  Manage the organisational, financial and day-to-day operation of a small-to-medium enterprise.

• 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.

• Develop management plans to reduce risks in aquaculture

  Develop a management plan to reduce the risks from pests, predators and diseases. Supervise implementation of plan, especially disease prevention measures, throughout the aquaculture facility.

• Implement contingency plans for escapees

  Carry out contingency plans for cage escapees. Carry out fish capture escape operations.

• Plan aquatic resources feeding regimes

  Make the appropriate operations to ensure aquatic resources for feeding regimes, taking into consideration farming constraints:set up fish feeding regimes, check animal feeding behaviour and operate computerised feed systems.

• Manage aquatic resources stock production

  Set up a farm stock production spreadsheet and feed budget (feeding, growth, biomass, mortality, FCR, harvesting). Monitor and maintain stock production.

• Control aquatic production environment

  Assess the impact of biological conditions such as algae and fouling organisms by managing water intakes, catchments and oxygen use.

• Monitor the farm environmental management plan

  Identify environmental designations and directives that relate to a given farm and incorporate their requirements in to the farm planning process. Monitor the implementation of the farm environmental management plan and review timescales.

• Compare production forecasts with actual results

  Analyse the production performance and assess the deviation from the expected results.

• 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.

• Apply company policies

  Apply the principles and rules that govern the activities and processes of an organisation.

• Monitor the use of resources in production

  Observe and check the use of resources such as food, oxygen, energy, water in the production process.

• Deliver aquatic products to customer specifications

  Deliver aquatic products to customer specifications, with full understanding of customer requirements.

• Supervise aquaculture facilities

  Supervise aquaculture facilities and identify equipment needs. Understand aquaculture equipment drawings, plans, and design principles of different containment systems.

• 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.

• Control fish diseases

  Identify the symptoms of fish diseases. Apply appropriate measures to treat or eliminate diagnosed conditions.

• Supervise waste water treatments

  Supervise waste water treatment according to environmental regulations.

• Perform project management

  Manage and plan various resources, such as human resources, budget, deadline, results, and quality necessary for a specific project, and monitor the project's progress in order to achieve a specific goal within a set time and budget.

• 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.

• Develop stock health programmes

  Develop a health and welfare programme for those aquatic resources under cultivation, in consultation with the fish health specialist

• 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.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB