A fish doorbell (Dutch: visdeurbel) is a system that allows fish to pass through a closed sluice gate through crowdsourced input when fish are present. The Utrecht Visdeurbel uses a livestreamed underwater camera that allows users to press a doorbell button to notify the lock operator that there are fish swimming in the gracht, and that the lock should be opened.[1] It is designed to aid in seasonal fish migration,[2] as an alternative to a physical fish ladder. The purpose of the project is to increase the survival of local fish that are otherwise vulnerable to predation during migration.

Usage

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It was deployed for the first time in Utrecht in March 2021,[3][4][5][6] at the Weerdsluis on the Oudegracht. In the first two weeks, it was used 23,000 times.[7] It was disabled in June,[8] but was reinstated at https://visdeurbel.nl. It ceased operation on July 1st, 2024 due to concluded migratory patterns and states an expected return date of March 3rd, 2025.

References

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  1. ^ Corbley, Andy (21 April 2021). "Dutch Citizens are Using a "Doorbell" to Help Fish Pass Through the Canal Gate". GoodNewsNetwork. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  2. ^ Visdeurbel. "Over de visdeurbel". visdeurbel (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-07-02.
  3. ^ "Utrecht krijgt de eerste visdeurbel ter wereld (en dit is geen 1 aprilgrap): 'Bij de sluis ontstaat een vissenfile'". Algemeen Dagblad. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  4. ^ Hee, Sterre van der (2021-03-29). "Deze visdeurbel moet vissen in Utrecht gaan helpen: 'Mensen en dieren kunnen best wat meer samenleven'". Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  5. ^ "Utrecht helpt vissen de sluis door: visdeurbel bij Weerdsluis vanaf nu live". De Utrechtse Internet Courant. 2021-03-29. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  6. ^ "Utrecht heeft eerste visdeurbel ter wereld, vis wacht tot sluis opengaat". NU.nl (in Dutch). 2021-03-29. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  7. ^ "Visdeurbel Oudegracht Utrecht ruim 32.000 keer ingedrukt". NOS.nl (in Dutch). 14 April 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
  8. ^ "Visdeurbel bij Utrechtse sluis komt volgend seizoen weer terug". NOS.nl (in Dutch). 7 June 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
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