Meet fish caretaker Chloe Kenney: ‘Fish are so beautiful, but many people don’t realise that’
On the top floor of the Sylvius Building, Chloe Kenney shows off the fish facility. From looking after the animals to carrying out technical maintenance on the aquariums and supervising students: this is her domain.
Wearing a dress featuring intricate fish illustrations and bright yellow wellies, Kenney talks enthusiastically about her work. ‘Fish are more perceptive than you think. They spot it straight away when you reach for their favourite snack.’ And sure enough, a school of sticklebacks immediately swims towards her.
A day in the life of an animal caretaker
Every day between 8.00 and 8.30, Kenney starts her morning round. Are all the fish healthy? Check. No alarm codes in the systems? Check. Then she feeds the animals, and once a week she checks the water quality. If everything is in order, she spends the rest of her day supervising students and teaching them how to handle the fish.
But alongside animal care, there’s also a technical side to Kenney’s job. As a biotechnician, she’s responsible for maintaining the aquariums. ‘A good pump and filtration system are the fish’s life support system. That’s how we maintain good water quality,’ she explains. ‘I really enjoy the technical side of my work. In this facility, we have a lot of variety with different fish species and set-ups, which means I’m constantly learning new things.’
How the fish keep their cool
In the photo, you can see a lot of condensation on the aquariums, and that’s actually a good sign. The room needs to be cool, and in warm weather, the temperature difference causes condensation. If the aquariums get too warm, the sticklebacks think it’s summer and become aggressive. Because summer means mating season, and then they won’t tolerate any other males.
From a childhood fascination to a specialised career
Lots of children want a puppy or a kitten. But even as a child, Kenney was mesmerised by the beauty of fish. She could spend hours watching the fish in her parents’ pond. She trained as a veterinary nursing, as there’s no such thing as a degree in fish care. She moved from England to the Netherlands in 2019 and worked in a veterinary practice for a while – but she missed the fish. So, when she saw the vacancy for a fish caretaker at the Institute of Biology Leiden, she didn’t hesitate.
What we can learn from fish
The facility has 4,000 litres of freshwater aquariums for adult zebrafish and sticklebacks, and 8,000 litres of saltwater aquariums, for mussels, for example. The latter are kept empty whenever possible, as the system requires a great deal of maintenance. The salt corrodes everything. One remarkable installation is the MIGRADROME: a unique, artificial river in which researchers study how light and sound influence migratory fish. ‘Research like this serves the animals,’ says Kenney. ‘Ultimately, it helps the entire population. I find that a comforting thought.’
It is important to replicate the fish’s natural environment as closely as possible. For the animals’ welfare, but also for science. ‘You can only study behaviour if the fish first display natural behaviour,’ she explains. ‘We therefore ensure a normal light cycle with day and night, plants and hiding places.’
'A lot of research serves the animals. Ultimately, that helps the entire population.'
A fish enthusiast at work and beyond
Kenney’s favourite animal also plays a major role at home. She regularly rescues fish from Marktplaats.nl, and in her garden she has built an aquaponics ecosystem: in it, food scraps and fish excrement from the pond serve as fertiliser for the plants in the vegetable garden next to it. The role of fish carer is clearly a perfect fit for her: ‘I’m absolutely delighted that I’ve been able to turn this into my profession.’