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The Atlas Obscura Podcast

The Fish Doorbell of Utrecht

The Atlas Obscura Podcast

SiriusXM Podcasts & Atlas Obscura

Places & Travel, Society & Culture

4.61.8K Ratings

🗓️ 4 March 2026

⏱️ 12 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Dutch city of Utrecht is built around an iconic canal lined with historic homes. But for the fish of the city, the view isn’t quite so picturesque. Each spring, migrating fish get trapped in the mazelike waterways of the city. Ecologist Mark van Heukelum came up with an innovative idea to help them out – a fish doorbell. We always want to hear from you! If you have a question or story for us, give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message, or send an email to hello@atlasobscura.com.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

When I had a cubicle job, I'd find all sorts of ways to break up the day.

0:04.6

I'd step out for my third cup of coffee, explore every other floor of the building.

0:09.5

And if I really wanted to escape, I'd turn on the eagle cam.

0:15.0

I could watch eaglitz chirp and sometimes tear apart a salmon high in a nest in a far-off national park.

0:21.9

I was temporarily transported away from the relentless one-on-one's and fluorescent overhead lights.

0:27.6

There are tons of critter cams out there.

0:30.0

I could watch a gazelle drink from the waterhole in Kenya, or spy on the drama at a bird

0:35.0

feeder in Hawaii.

0:36.7

But there's one live stream that takes things a step further.

0:40.8

One where you're not just watching wildlife.

0:43.5

You're actively involved.

0:45.4

I'm Alexa Lim and this is Atlas Obscira,

0:48.2

a celebration of the world's strange, incredible, and wondrous places.

0:51.9

Today, we're tuning into a camera streaming from a river in the Netherlands,

0:56.1

an underwater world where you can

0:57.8

peek in on local migrating fish.

1:00.6

And when the moment is right,

1:02.1

you get to push a button.

1:04.0

A doorbell, really.

1:05.5

A fish doorbell.

1:07.3

More after this.

1:33.3

Yeah. More after this. The city of Utrecht is located just southeast of Amsterdam. It's the fourth largest city in the Netherlands.

...

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