Fisheries Field Monitoring Accreditation Scheme
The Accreditation Scheme has been designed to assess the technical competence and reliability of field staff collecting data for fisheries monitoring and therefore improve confidence in data quality from fish and fisheries monitoring.
The scheme is aimed at experienced field staff and will involve an initial assessment and continued professional development, to maintain accreditation.
The scheme is designed so that at least one member of a monitoring team has been accredited, giving confidence that the data collected is reliable, fish welfare standards are maintained, and that person is enrolled in a process where they can maintain and review their fishery monitoring skills.
The Scheme identifies the complexities involved in collecting good quality fisheries data, recognising the advanced skill and experience required to safely complete a fish survey.
Scroll down to find more information about the scheme, the standards expected, the application procedure and what will be required for maintaining accreditation.
Any questions please contact – [email protected]
The full description of the Scheme and details of how to apply can be downloaded below
The full standards for the scheme are below
How to Apply
The application fee is £350 and all applicants must be a full member of the IFM.
Please download the application form below and email back to Ian Wellby on [email protected]
Overview
Most biological and physical assessment, or monitoring, methods have some form of accreditation or quality control system. For example, macro-invertebrate monitoring has a detailed training programme and a quality assurance (QA) system for identification. In most cases the data produced from such sampling would only be accepted from analysts who are enrolled onto a quality control programme.
Fish monitoring in freshwater is different; there is currently no UK-wide QA or accreditation system. Fisheries are often complex and fish populations are affected by many different stressors. Accordingly, fish are an important indicator of environment and conservation status, and monitoring data are used for a variety of purposes. For evidence-based fisheries management, monitoring fish is also essential. This monitoring is often costly and involves the capture and release of a wild animal using a variety of techniques, all of which influence the nature of the data collected. The most desirable methods of fish monitoring, from a scientific and ethical position, are non-destructive, with fish held and then released alive after biometric data are collected. As a result, there is no opportunity for post-sampling quality control akin to those used for macroinvertebrate samples. For everyone using those data to have full confidence in its quality, it is imperative that a framework of best practice fisheries standards is developed that can be used to align fisheries monitoring standards. This will ensure staff are fully competent to conduct the survey in a way that satisfies the intended purpose, ensures fish welfare and accurately records the results on site. This is increasingly important with the frequent disconnect between data collection and analysis, and the desire to make data open-access and shareable across the water industry.
As the professional body for fisheries management the Institute is ideally suited to lead on providing an independent, sector wide, QA and accreditation initiative. The IFM Specialist section on ‘Fish and their environment’ is leading this scheme.
The Scheme
This scheme has been designed to assess the technical competence and reliability of staff leading field teams in collecting data for fisheries monitoring. The scheme will improve confidence in data quality from fish and fisheries monitoring and sets out to acknowledge the expertise required of those leading fish monitoring programmes in the field. This scheme is designed so that at least one member of a monitoring team has been accredited. The scheme will involve an initial assessment and continued professional development, to maintain accreditation.
To support this practical aspect, a clear understanding as to why the data are being collected and how the information may be used is important.
The core knowledge areas are:
- PREPARATION AND PLANNING
- SURVEY IMPLEMENTATION
- FISH WELFARE AND BIOSECURITY
- SAMPLE PROCESSING AND DATA RECORDING
Please note there is no accredited prior learning route. To be accredited everyone will be expected to undertake the assessment
