What Is a Fish Doorbell The Fascinating Innovation Explained

Hey there, Wanna help a fish pass the Weerdsluis lock easily? Fish Doorbell is the solution. It’s an innovative, eco-friendly system developed in the Netherlands to help fish navigate waterways. Specifically, it was designed to assist fish passing through a lock in the Weerdsluis in Utrecht. Read along to find interesting details about the Fish Doorbell. 

About the Fish Doorbell: 

fish doorbell

Every spring, Fish swim through Utrecht, finding a space to reproduce. Some fish travel to Germany for reproduction. But, there is a problem, and that is a Weerdsluis lock on the western side of the inner city. Because of this reason, the naive wishes have to wait long as the lock rarely opens in spring. 

In this case, the Fish Doorbell website offers a great solution. They have installed an underwater camera at the lock, and the live feed is streamed to their homepage. If you see a fish stuck near the lock, press the digital fish Doorbell. It’s like a fish is ringing a doorbell, requesting to open the look to travel and reproduce! 

The website sends the lock operator a digital signal. They open the lock if there are a large number of fish. It’s an impressive effort to save the number of fish and help them reproduce.  Now, you can help a fish reach the canal of Utrecht. Keep an eye on the Fish Doorbell website, and whenever you see a few number of fish struck, press the fish doorbell, and the look operator will get a signal. 

How the Fish Doorbell Works? 

When you press the fish doorbell, the lock operator gets a notification that the fish are waiting to pass. It’s now the operator calling to decide whether he wants to open the door or not. In the past, the lock hardly got open in spring, but now it can be opened daily if necessary. 

The fish doorbell is a tremendous step that allows us to ensure that fish don’t have to wait long at the Weerdsluis lock. It’s great news for fish and has many benefits. The fish can now escape predators by avoiding long waiting times at the lock and reproduce quickly! 

What is a Fish Doorbell?

When the water lock is closed, fish can get stuck and be unable to swim upstream. The Fish Doorbell allows people to act by observing live underwater camera footage via a website. If a fish is seen waiting near the lock, they can press a button that signals the lock operator to open the gates, helping the fish continue their journey upstream.

Why the Fish Doorbell? 

Because fish play a key role in keeping the water clean and healthy, fish are important to maintain the quality of rivers and canals in Utrecht. 

the fish doorbell

Fish doorbell helps the fish to pass the lock easily and reproduce. The Fish Doorbell website also provides information on the number and type of species travelling through Utrecht’s waterways. This information can help improve the quality of underwater life in Utrecht. 

Which is the best time to see Fishdoorbell? 

Night: This is because fish mainly prefer to swim at night when travelling from one place to another. It saves the fish from predators and birds. If you want to spot a fish on the Fish Doorbell website, it’s recommended that you check out the live stream when it’s dark outside. 

History of Fish Doorbell: 

Three years back, two ecologists_ Anne Nijs and Mark van Heukelum, were standing at the Weerdsluis lock looking at some artwork when they noticed that many fish in the water were waiting for the lock to open. 

This was the time of spring. During this time, the water gets warmer, and some fish migrate to shallower water and swim through the centre of Utrecht, looking for a place to spawn and reproduce. Unfortunately, the Weerdsluis lock hardly opens because no boats are sailing now. 

When the fish keep waiting for a long time, they are vulnerable to predators. That’s why the ecologist thought the lock should frequently open in the spring to let the fish go on their way. But the question was, how would the lock operator know that fish are waiting for the lock to be placed? 

This question gave birth to the Fish Doorbell initiative. Mark gave this idea, and the team, in collaboration with some other organisations, started working on this plan. 

Public Response on the Fish Doorbell Website: 

There are many wildlife enthusiasts out there who want to do something for the naive yet important fish. So, the people love this website and their effort to save fish and help them pass through the lock and reproduce easily. People all across the world, including New Zealand, America, Australia, and England, have logged in to the Fish Doorbell website’s homepage. 

The website has 9.3 million visits in total, and the fish doorbell has rung over 40,000 times. 

fish doorbell website

Anne, one of the founders of the Fish Doorbell website, says that besides helping the fish migrate and complete their life cycle, the Fish Doorbell is a source of education for many people. She says the underwater world is a hidden world, and we’ve seen that the fish doorbell has opened the eyes of many. It has educated people about the types and sources of fish living there and why they need our help! 

When will the Fish Doorbell website be active again?

It will be active again on March 3, 2025, in the new spring season. It’s because we already explained that in spring the water is warmer, and the fish need to migrate for reproduction but the lock causes the hindrance. Because there are no boats sailing in the water at this time and hence the lock remains locked. That is when Mark and Anne decided to create a fish door. 

This is a virtual live stream that allows people across the world to see that a fish is stuck at the Weerdsluis lock and they can press a fish doorbell. If enough fish are waiting, the lock operator can open the lock, and the fish can migrate and reproduce easily. This is a great effort and a major contribution to saving fish.