The Fish Door Bell
When you tire of the social media scroll, how about ringing a doorbell for a fish in need? Each spring, migratory fish travel from River Vecht, a branch of the Rhine River southeast of Amsterdam, to the Kromme River, where they spawn and reproduce. Fish are a natural part of the ecosystem in Utrecht, a city in the Netherlands, but they frequently get caught in the Dutch city's various dams and locks.
When you spot a fish and ring the virtual Fish Doorbell, a lock operator will take note and decide when to open the canal lock, allowing the fish to pass through the waterway. The idea for the doorbell came from a conversation between ecologist Mark van Heukelum and the Weerdsluis boat lock manager. As the two watched fish hovering helplessly at the boat lock several years ago, van Heukelum asked what it would take to keep the boat lock open during the spring for the fish to migrate through. The lock operator said he would be happy to open the lock, but he would need to know when there were fish ready to swim through; and that's when van Heukelum began designing his underwater webcam that can be viewed around the clock by viewers around the globe.
When van Heukelum launched the Fish Doorbell, or Visdeurbel, in March 2021, the curiously engaging doorbell was rung more than 100,000 times by people around the world. Now in its fourth season, the doorbell's popularity seems to be growing. As one viewer facetiously posted last week on X (formerly Twitter), "Quitting my day job to ring the fish doorbell full-time."
The common "rudd" is a freshwater fish that is frequently seen hovering on the Fish Doorbell's livestream, although you can spot any of 20 or so varied species that call the Dutch canals home: pike, roach, zander, eel, perch, carp, and freshwater bream, to name a few.
Hebrews 13:16 reads, Do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. What doorbells will you ring for others this week, ushering them forward in ways they could not manage on their own?