Do you see a fish? Press the bell!
More than a million viewers have helped fish get to where they’re going in the Netherlands.
Every spring, thousands of fish swish through the Netherlands’ fourth-largest city, seeking shallow waters in which to lay their eggs. Some swim all the way to Germany.
If you want to help them get to where they’re going, all you need to do is wait for a fish, press a button – and save their lives
For the past three migration seasons, an online feed has broadcast live footage from an underwater camera at a lock to the west of Utrecht. Slight snag: they often have to wait at the Weerdsluis lock, which seldom opens at this time of year.
Fish swim every spring from the Vecht, via the Oudegracht and the canals, to the Kromme Rijn. They swim straight through Utrecht, looking for a place to lay eggs and reproduce.
Sometimes they have to wait a long time because the lock gates do not open often in early spring.
That is why there is a camera under water at the lock. Are there fish in the picture? Press the bell. The lock keeper receives a signal and, if there are many fish, will open the lock.
The Visdeurbell is coming to an end for this season. The camera turned off on Friday 30 June. The bell will turn on again on March 1, 2024.
