Skills body gears up to help tackle harmful algal blooms
Aquaculture staff are being offered training in detecting and reporting harmful algal blooms in a UK-wide scheme.
The initiative is being managed by Lantra – the training and skills body for the land-based and environment sector – which has expanded its capabilities in the sector after taking over the leadership of a UK-wide training initiative focused on harmful algal blooms (HABs).
Funded by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) UK Seafood Fund: Skills and Training Scheme, the programme is designed to help producers mitigate the challenges associated with HABs. Outbreaks are caused by rising water temperatures, among other factors, and can lead to significant health and welfare issues for farmed fish. Algal blooms are also associated with toxins which can make shellfish dangerous for humans.
Training will help to ensure the workforce is following standard operating procedures for detecting and reporting HABs in open coastal waters, which were initially developed as part of the Scottish Government’s Farmed Fish Health Framework. The ambition is to create a more consistent and effective reporting system for the entire sector that can inform predictive models and early-warning systems.
An estimated 1,800 sector professionals and students are expected to complete the training, which is due to go live this spring and will be initially free-to-access. The course – created in partnership with the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) and Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) – includes details of the different steps required for sampling and identifying a list of targeted species and recording the level of risk, as well as offering support with calculations and a handbook.
Representatives from producers, research organisations and regulatory bodies have helped to shape the programme and trial the content. These include Salmon Scotland, Mowi, Scottish Sea Farms, Loch Duart, Bakkafrost, SAMS Enterprise and the RSPCA.
Jillian Couto-Phoenix, Head of Aquaculture at Lantra, said: “With decades of experience providing training and qualifications for people at all stages of their careers, Lantra is very well placed to take on the next stage of the HABs initiative. Employers in the aquaculture sector will already be familiar with the services Lantra provides, so we see this as a natural addition to our aquaculture offering.
“The user-friendly, introductory-level course is designed to be accessible and understandable, enabling the sector to work together on tackling the challenges associated with HABs. Timing is key, and we’ll be rolling out the training ahead of the summer season, which is when HABs can be most prevalent.
“The connection between HABs and climate change means that, unfortunately, they are only likely to become more of a concern in years to come so it is important to have every technician, operator and manager working under the same operating procedures. In the future, we can foresee creating additional modules, covering, for example, blooms of micro jellyfish, which can lead to similar concerns for fish health and welfare.”
Lantra said those interested in attending can register their interest online.
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