Adam Casey
Dive Team Leader
Working in some of the most beautiful areas of Australia and often thought of as the farming elite, the aquaculture diver plays an integral role in the sustainability and success of an aquaculture farm. Unlike recreational diving, aquaculture diving requires, passion and commitment to working in all weather conditions and water temperatures, with often limited visibility and a close working relationship with marine life. Through the use of Aquaculture divers, management remain informed of the activity and condition of their marine farm leases that can not be observed from the surface. This includes: • The security of their nets by the underwater inspection of moorings, weights, tightness of nets, level of exterior coating including sea weed and regular inspections for holes;• Condition of sea bottom, through regular inspection of sea bottom for any build up of waste or feed matter and equipment retrieval; • Health management through the retrieval of non survivors within the sea cages to ensure health of survivors and to identify any areas of concern; and • Operational support through operational diving for pre and post inspection following operational processes, such as bathing or towing. An aquaculture diver requires a minimum Certificate 3 in Aquaculture Diving which conforms to the AS2299 standards, a workplace first aid certificate and an oxygen resuscitation certificate. Predominantly working in a small team and diving on surface supply there is some call for scuba diving as well.
Tassal Ltd and the Australian Seafood Cooperative Research Centre
The seafood industry is the sixth most valuable of Australia's food-based primary industries, with a gross value of production of $2.05 billion in 2006-07.
The Australian Seafood Cooperative Research Centre is Australia's first entity to stimulate and provide comprehensive seafood-related research and development and industry leadership on a national basis. The work the CRC undertakes involves every aspect from seafood production right through to the seafood consumer.
The Australian Seafood CRC also aims to help the Australian seafood industry to profitably deliver safe, high-quality, nutritious Australian seafood products to premium markets, domestically and overseas using research and development.
The Centre’s ultimate goal is to double the value of the Australian seafood industry to $4 billion by 2017 and to generate a significant number of new jobs in rural and regional areas.
http://www.seafoodcrc.com
http://www.tassal.com