People credited with this unit standard are able to describe: energy and nutrient flows in the aquatic ecosystem; patterns in phytoplankton abundance and how they relate to aquaculture; interactions between species and how they relate to aquaculture; tides and tidal patterns and how they relate to aquaculture; zonation in the aquatic environment and how it relates to aquaculture; the potential ecological impacts of aquaculture and the farming techniques used to minimise these impacts; and how the ecological impacts of human activities on land and in the aquatic environment can impact on aquaculture.