Fish doorbell season is back! Help by ringing the bell

Here’s how you ring the fish doorbell to help fish migrate in the Netherlands.

Ring the fish doorbell!

Spring is returning to the Northern Hemisphere, and fish in the Netherlands are swimming upstream to their spawning grounds. But in the city of Utrecht, a boat lock is keeping the fish from reaching their destinations. That’s where you come in. There’s a camera at the bottom of the boat lock that livestreams the activity there. Watch the livestream, and when you see a fish, ring the doorbell! That will alert the lock operator to open the lock and let the fish swim through.

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The less time the fish have to wait at the lock, the more likely they are to survive to their spawning grounds. Otherwise, predators – such as grebes and cormorants – can dip down to dine on the fish as they pile up and wait for the lock to open.

How to see the fish

Currently, the waters are still a bit cold, so not many fish are migrating. But that should change as spring warms up. The best time of day to spot a fish is at night or around dawn. That’s because it’s safer for fish to travel at night to avoid predators.

So when is night or dawn in the Netherlands? Utrecht is in Central European Time, which is currently UTC +1. So, for example, in Utrecht the sun is rising around 7 a.m. at this time of year, which would be midnight CST in the U.S.

March is when the activity starts, but it really picks up in April, when you’re most likely to spot fish waiting for you to let them through.

The ecologists running the program will keep a journal on YouTube as well. So, you can follow along with the journal here.

Livestreaming the stream life

In these early spring days, there are more people watching the fish doorbell livestream than there are fish. At any one time, it appears there are hundreds of people watching the livestream. But at the moment, fish are scarce.

And if you tune in to the livestream at a time when it’s too crowded, the doorbell won’t be available. You can still watch for the fish, and there’s a checklist where you can keep track of the species you’ve spotted. You can also try again at a less crowded time for a chance to ring the doorbell.

Ding dong! Other fish doorbell benefits

The fish doorbell is not only important to the fish but to the quality of the rivers and canals. A healthy fish population plays a key role in keeping the water clean.

The fish doorbell is a project by the Municipality of Utrecht, Waterboard De Stichtse Rijnlanden and Water Authority Amstel, Gooi and Vecht. These groups want locals and visitors to realize how much life is in the famous Dutch canals. And the images from the doorbell cam provide insight into the species and number of fish that use Utrecht’s waterways. All of this information can help to improve the water quality and freshwater marine life in these ecosystems.

Bottom line: It’s time for the fish in the Netherlands to migrate. But how do they get through the lock? Well, you can help by ringing the fish doorbell to let them through! Here’s how.

Via Visdeurbel