The Fish Doorbell began as a local project in the Netherlands, but quickly became a staple of spring’s arrival.
Because the city of Utrecht developed more concretely around the Vecht River, locks and the other two main canals, the Oudegracht (Old Canal) and Nieuwegracht (New Canal) along with their wharf cellars (water-level, built into the canal walls, storage) which originally served as convenient storage for trades when they were originally constructed (around the Middle Ages). Every canal served a purpose of connection or defense, as seen closer to the home of the fish doorbell.
The main story happens in the Stadsbuitengracht (City Outer Canal), originally purposed as a defense moat for the city now prevents fish from freely traveling upstream due to locks that were constructed.
Waiting at a door upstream just makes the fish more vulnerable to awaiting predators in the area, like herons. As a solution to this, the municipality of Utrecht installed an underwater camera, not only to solve the main problem of the fish needing to wait to go upstream, but to bring awareness about the rich aquatic ecosystem within and surrounding the city. The camera is where anyone, especially you, as a viewer, comes in as the Fish Doorbell is available to all on their website (https://visdeurbel.nl/).
As of March 2, the Fish Doorbell will be available to interact with once more. Take a moment to explore the curious innovations of the century, and discover some of Utrecht’s canal aquatic life ecosystems.
Thank you for reading and please be sure to check it out.
https://www.rtvutrecht.nl/nieuws/2153239/ding-dong-visdeurbel-helpt-vissen-door-utrechtse-weerdsluis
