Passion for fish
Nicolas Gagnon has always had a fascination for the aquatic world, especially for fish. When he was younger, he spent many summers with both feet in the water collecting minnows and fishing for cod with his father, who was a great aquarium enthusiast. This passion has been passed on from father to son, as Nicolas now works as an aquarist animal guide at Aquarium du Québec. Here he tells us about his unusual daily life with these marvels of fresh and salt water.
Animals hold no secrets for Nicolas… well, almost none anyway! This jack-of-all-trades has a bachelor's degree in biology, a master's degree in crayfish breeding ,and a well-rounded resume. Coordinator of the aquatic collection at Granby Zoo, owner of a pet store for 15 years, whale-watching cruise commentator and guide... his world has always revolved around animals.
For the past five years, Nicolas has been working at Aquarium du Québec. For our animal lover, this is a return to his roots; in his early twenties, in the 1980s, he began his career here as a naturalist guide.
His beloved creatures… freshwater fish!
In 2018, he was entrusted with freshwater fish, a joy for this lover of aquatic fauna. “Fish remind me of my youth, when I spent my summers on the water, in Québec or on the American east coast," recounts Nicolas. “My father was a painter and his passion was aquariums. That became my passion too. At one time, when I was a teenager, I had about twenty aquariums at home. People around me sometimes thought I’d gone completely overboard!”
He has even bred some fish, such as African cichlids. "They have fascinating reproductive behaviour. The male courts the female, she lays her eggs, the male fertilizes them, and then the female takes them back for oral incubation," he explains. At the Aquarium, the arowana has a similar method of reproduction, except that it’s the male that keeps the eggs, and then the young fry, in his mouth.
When asked why he has such admiration for the wonderful world of freshwater fish, he replies: "They've been part of my life for so long, we're like an old couple! One of my favourite fish is the sturgeon. I'm interested in its fishy behaviour; it has a certain nonchalant attitude that I quite like.”
The animal guide also admits to having a soft spot for freshwater rays, an animal with which he can do biomedical training. "At the Aquarium, we have a freshwater ray of the motoro species. Together with other aquarists, we work very hard to target train it, much like trainers do with seals. Rather than having to catch the ray to examine it and do various medical follow-ups, we can make it come by itself through the lure of food," he describes.
Piranha specialist
In his work, Nicolas has to deal with a vast array of fish species with some striking peculiarities. Red-bellied piranhas can be said to fall into this category. "While everyone else sees them as man-eaters, I find them to be a charismatic species," he reveals.
He admits, however, that this shoal of fish, numbering about thirty individuals at the Aquarium, brings its share of challenges, particularly in terms of countering cannibalism. Nicolas has more than one trick up his sleeve.
"We feed the piranhas small pieces of fish. That way, each piranha gets its own small chunk. If we put in large pieces, the piranhas might hurt each other. When a piranha is wounded, it can become prey for its fellow piranhas, because at that moment, it changes its status… from buddy to food! Fortunately, this rarely happens," explains the experienced aquarist.
Seahorse keepe
These days, Nicolas spends most of his working hours with strange fish, real pros at camouflage: seahorses. This is the new mandate he has been given. Every day, he has the pleasure of working with this creature at the Deep Sea Pavilion.
Some have surprising characteristics, such as the dwarf seahorse, which is one of the few species to practice monogamy. The male and female remain together throughout the breeding cycle. And because of their limited lifespan, which is about one year, they often form a couple for life.
Nicolas is enjoying his new job. He loves watching seahorses, although he is aware that keeping them healthy and alive until a ripe old age is a challenge in itself. They usually live between two and ten years. "Our common sea dragon, Maxime, is 10 years old. We take good care of him! When I look at old Max, I think about how he’s an evolutionary marvel," he enthuses.
Whether Nicolas is working with freshwater fish or seahorses, his typical day as an aquarist is similar. Every day, he has to make a morning round to ensure that the animals in his care are doing well and that the water temperature and parameters are correct.
Of course, feeding the creatures is also part of his daily routine. “Often, it is by feeding them that we can see if our animals are doing well," he points out. “When their appetite is good, everything is a-okay! If they aren’t feeding, it may be because they’re ill, their environment isn’t suitable, or they’re in the breeding season. So feeding time gives us a chance to take the pulse of our fish.”
Distinguished diver
What better way to observe your fish friends than to dive into the water with them! Nicolas has held his diving certifications since 1986, but he returned to this passion only four years ago. His profession requires him to perform various tasks underwater, whether it be maintaining the tanks or feeding the fish in the tunnel of the Aquarium’s Awesome Ocean.
He loves looking after the seal tanks. "Diving with the harp and harbour seals at the Aquarium is really a blast! They’re so curious when they see us," he exclaims. “And while I'm scrubbing their tanks and picking up any rubbish that may fall into the water, I can watch them up close. I don't have to give them big hugs; just watching them makes me happy as a lark.”
He also participates in clean-up operations in the natural environment with other divers from the Aquarium. By removing rubbish or zebra mussels from our waterways, he hopes to contribute to the protection of Québec's flora and fauna.
Sharing his passion with the next generation
At 59, Nicolas wants to end his career with the fish and his colleagues at the Aquarium. "It's interesting to work with people who share the same love of the aquatic environment as I do. Here, this unconditional love is an asset, not a quirk or a sickness," he points out.
His dearest wish before retiring in ten years' time is to share his knowledge with young people who are just beginning their professional lives. With Nicolas passing on his contagious passion, there’ll be no shortage of fresh enthusiasts working at the Aquarium in the years ahead.