The city of Utrecht in the Netherlands has combined live-streaming with environmentalism and a splash of viewer participation to create the Fish Doorbell, a chill and ecologically beneficial interactive live-streaming experience where viewers can help fish get to their spawning grounds with the click of a button. It’s like TwitchPlaysPokémon but with some cool real-world consequences.
A river lock is a contraption used to raise and lower watercraft between stretches of water on rivers and canals. River locks, like the one in the Weerdsluis River in Utrecht, have the unfortunate side effect of trapping local fish like bream, pike, and bass behind them, preventing them from migrating and leaving them vulnerable to predators.
Ecologist and concept developer Mark van Heukelum wanted to help these fish along their journey, so he received permission from the local government to install what he called the Fish Doorbell — a camera positioned underwater that livestreams footage of fish trapped behind the lock.
If you spot a fish, you can press the big doorbell button to the right of the video and click on the image of the type of fish you saw. A screenshot is then sent to organizers, who notify the worker in charge of manually opening a big set of double doors by turning a big wheel.
The project is in its fifth year and only seems to be growing in popularity. People looking for an interactive livestream can tune in and help some fish reach their spawning grounds. Classrooms of elementary school students gather around a laptop or tablet at lunch, their eyes glued to the murky green river water as they try to spot a fish and press the big purple button.
Van Heukelum attributes the interest to the simple appeal of contributing to a cause. It probably helps that the contribution requires little more than a couple of simple clicks that break up a chill digital scavenger hunt.
The first fish start appearing right now (in March) and really get going in early April. They’re usually the most active at dawn and dusk, Netherlands time, of course.
So if you’re bored or just looking for some passive interactive engagement with people from all over the world to feel like you’re part of a larger community of people who just want to help some fish make some babies, maybe the Fish Doorbell is something you might consider adding to your stockpile of internet entertainment.
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