Now that the fish migration season is over, the fish doorbell at a lock in the Oudegracht in Utrecht is taken offline. The municipality calls the action a success and ensures that the bell will return next season.
At the end of March, the world’s first fish doorbell went live. People could watch live underwater images online from the lock in the Oudegracht. If they saw a fish in the picture, they could ring the bell, after which the lock keeper received a signal.
This solved the problem that the lock is often closed for a long time in early spring, because there are still few boats. While in the spring many fish migrate through the Oudegracht towards the Kromme Rijn to lay eggs there.
Involving people in nature
Urban ecologist Mark van Heukelum came up with the idea for the bell and is happy with the success. “I noticed that the bell continued to attract people. It is very nice to see that Utrecht has embraced the fish door bell,” he tells RTV Utrecht.
In the first two weeks, the bell was pressed more than 32,000 times. In total, more than 100,000 people called and the live underwater images were viewed two million times.
According to Van Heukelum, the fish doorbell has succeeded in involving people in nature. “We were able to bring it very close. And you are in control yourself.”
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