Utrecht’s fish doorbell closes for the season after 12 million views
Utrecht’s fish doorbell has officially closed for the season. Since it went live on March 2, nearly 900,000 people have visited the livestream of Utrecht’s Weerdsluis over 12 million times to see if a fish was waiting to get through the lock, the organization said.
The fish doorbell is open every year during migration season between March and the end of June to allow fish easier access through the Dutch city’s Weerdsluis, a historic lock that isn’t always open. If you spot a fish on the livestream, you ring the doorbell, and the lock keeper opens the lock so the fish can pass through.
This season, the doorbell was rung 263,331 times by people from 160 different countries and 12,447 different cities. People from the United States (28.6%), the Netherlands (17.4%), and Germany (15.8%) rang the bell most often. The doorbell became very popular in the United States last year when comedian John Oliver mentioned it in his late-night show Last Week Tonight.
“Thanks to you, thousands of fish were able to continue their journey,” the organization said. “The fish migration season has now come to an end, so the Fish Doorbell is taking a break. The camera is off, the doorbell is silent, and the fish have reached their spawning grounds.”
The fish doorbell will return on March 1, 2027.
