Lantra, the training and skills body for the land-based and environment sector, has expanded its capabilities in the aquaculture 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 program 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.
Training will help 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 organizations and regulatory bodies have helped to shape the program 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 that “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,” said Couto-Phoenix.
“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,” Couto-Phoenix concluded.
To register your interest in this course, visit lantrascotland.wufoo.com.
