Episode Transcript
[00:00:03] Speaker A: Welcome to Brain junk. I'm Trace Kerr.
[00:00:05] Speaker B: And I'm Amy Barton. And today we are going to be discussing the fish store bell on the Vecht river in the Netherlands.
[00:00:17] Speaker A: I'm so excited about this.
[00:00:19] Speaker B: It is as delightful as it sounds.
This is one of those things that I stumbled across online and I thought, well, that's weird and probably not true.
The guy's like, you can ring a doorbell and do the thing. So I looked it up and here's the skinny.
On the vect river in Utrecht, Netherlands, there are locks much like you'd see in England, and they are seasonal. And so the lock in Utrecht doesn't open over the winter. Not in. It's the weird sluice lock. And I indeed could be pronouncing that wrong. It's in the west side of the inner city and there's no reason to open it. It's not open for recreational traffic until about now, in April. So if migrating fish are headed to spawn, they get stuck just hanging out by that lock and no one might open it for days. And so it cuts off that spawn and these fish might be going all the way to Germany. Oh, through the Netherlands. And so the way we got a doorbell, scientists noticed this problem. Mark van Hucklem is a scientist who lives near that lock and noticed that the fish are piling up at times. And the lock's only about 7ft deep, so you can see him down there if you're standing at the edge of the lock. And he got to chatting up the lock operator, and the person at the time who was doing that was a really great person and said, oh, that's a bummer. I would totally let those fish through, but I can't see him from my office. And so that sparked this moment of creativity that led to the fish doorbell.
So let's back up a little bit and tell you that you trekked Netherlands. It's slightly below sea level, so there's lots of locks. And this probably happens in a lot of places where that spot spring spawn, where they're swimming through the city, they want to find shallow waters with lots of plants to make it the perfect location for them to have little fish babies. Oh, yeah, they're headed that direction, right through the city. And there's lots of kinds. It looks like perch and bream and pike and eels. They also have alien species, and that's in quotes, like crayfish and crabs that aren't native to the area, but buzz through every now and then.
It's been about four years now. That this scientist, Mark Van Huckelem, noticed this problem. And so Mark came up with this idea of what if there was a camera and we could see when the fish piled up? But being a practical person, he also realized he could not monitor this all day because the lockmaster said, if you let me know when they're there, I will open it. And so this is what he came up with. He decided, will put in a live feed camera, and he created a website that you can sit there. They have about 950 spots or so for users to sit there and live stream on the website. And while they're doing that, if you see, if you're live streaming and you notice a fish swim up, there's a button right next to the live stream feed. If you see a fish, you push the button, and it sends a fish picture to the lockmaster. And once he decides that there's enough fish, he physically goes out, is what there was a picture showing. This is a man turning a wheel on the top of the lock open. Physically out there, opening the lock to let the fish through.
[00:03:54] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:03:55] Speaker B: Which is completely delightful. I really love it that, like, oh, it's fish time. I'll be right back.
He might wait for a handful of them to pile up. They might have to wait a few hours. I don't know what his. Maybe if he's bored and there's a fish, he'll go let it out. But the lockmaster gets to determine how many fish is enough for him to go let out. But that just happens now through the winter and into the early spring, as the fish are trying to get through.
[00:04:24] Speaker A: I just. Okay, so. And I have been. I've been to the website a few times. I've been. When the doorbell was there.
[00:04:32] Speaker B: Oh, have you?
[00:04:33] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:04:33] Speaker B: Did you let a fish through?
[00:04:35] Speaker A: I did not. I wasn't there long enough. I had it, like, on another screen as I was working. Never saw a fish. I was deeply disappointed.
[00:04:43] Speaker B: I know I was only on for, like, five minutes, and I'm like, I am not committed enough to this, knowing that there are 450 other people here right now.
[00:04:53] Speaker A: So I just. I love everything about the. Although what I'm curious about is. Cause, like, you sent me this video, and I kind of looked into it a little bit, and then you're like, I'm talking about fish doorbell. And so I stopped looking, right.
But I was like, why don't they have a fish ladder?
[00:05:10] Speaker B: I think it's just part of the infrastructure. Like, I don't know that there's high enough volume and for those of you who want a fish ladder, I threw one into my notes. Ballard here in Washington state has a fish ladder, and that allows the fish to just ploop, bloop, bloop upstream. If you've never seen one before, it looks like a stair step. The water flows over it, so they still have to push upstream and they get that exercise and they get really muscly and they head to the spawning ground. So my guess is just that it's an infrastructure thing because a lot of things in Europe are pretty old. Yeah, that would be a big construction project. And so there's a lockmaster who opens the gate and a guy who pays for web hosting once a month so that the fish can be free.
[00:05:57] Speaker A: The fish are like, help us. Yeah. I mean. Cause. And I agree with you, it's probably that, you know, this lock is in between streets and, you know, all this kind of stuff and. Yeah, where would you even put a fish ladder? I just. It's so sweet. I love everything about it.
[00:06:14] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:06:14] Speaker A: Now did you see, because I had read where they turned it off at one point, the fish doorbell. Cause everybody was ringing the damn doorbell.
[00:06:22] Speaker B: Ah. Did everybody mute me? I suppose he could close it off so just he could see it well.
[00:06:28] Speaker A: And it was like, for a while there, it was off because he was like, look, okay, I'm just gonna do it a couple times a day. And I think they've brought it back because, I mean, it does bring some notoriety. Right. You know, that we're participating in the fishiness that is spawning season.
[00:06:45] Speaker B: Yes. It is fun to be a part of a thing because this is an ecological thing too. Fish and the wildlife population in the water help keep that water healthy and clean just by being a part of that ecosystem. So that fish doorbell is helping them find a spawning ground and it's keeping those waterways healthy. Um, so. And it keeps them safe from, like, cormorants. It's only 7ft deep, so they greaves. What's a grebe? I jotted that down in my note.
[00:07:14] Speaker A: And then I'm like, it's another fishing bird.
[00:07:16] Speaker B: Oh, it's pretty. It's got a little orange behind its head.
[00:07:19] Speaker A: Yeah. They're snackers, though, you know.
[00:07:22] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. The prey birds, it's not deep, they can see them and it's like, you know, shooting fish in a barrel.
It's the Netherlands version of that for the cormorants and grieves. It's like you collected them all here for us. Thank you.
[00:07:34] Speaker A: Yes, we had that happen this winter.
[00:07:37] Speaker B: Oh, no, in your pond?
[00:07:38] Speaker A: Yeah. Okay, so we have a galvanized steel pond that's maybe like 3ft deep and a lot of goldfish. And in the winter, the water gets very still and oh, boy, can you see those goldfish? And, yeah, I went out and I was like, man, I feel like there's fewer fish. And then Chaz went out later and he found heron footprints.
[00:08:01] Speaker B: Oh, no.
[00:08:02] Speaker A: In the snow and half our fish were gone.
[00:08:05] Speaker B: Oh, bummer.
[00:08:07] Speaker A: Oh, circle of life. Okay, but let me tell you, the fish that are left, man, they are the ones that are not coming up to the top.
[00:08:16] Speaker B: Yeah. Those ones are not at risk of winning the Darwin awards. They have figured it out.
[00:08:22] Speaker A: I think they have PTSD.
[00:08:24] Speaker B: Yes. Well, and that's one of the things they noted in this, is that fish tend to migrate at night because it's harder to see them. But in the winter, on a full moon in a pond, there's no hiding.
[00:08:37] Speaker A: Oh, no.
[00:08:38] Speaker B: But if you want to try to push the button, find out when it's night in the Netherlands and you're more likely to see a fish. Apparently you'll have to wait to see the doorbell in action. Well, but now, you know, you can plan ahead. Put something in your calendar.
[00:08:51] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, there you go.
[00:08:53] Speaker B: Or you can go to the fish doorbell news report and watch videos that they have put together so you can see the fish going through without pushing the button. It's instant satisfaction. You don't have to wait.
[00:09:06] Speaker A: See, this is good because I have random stuff like wolf newt, which is a holiday created by a young boy. It's right before thanksgiving. Now I'm going to add fish doorbell. People are gonna think I have a mental illness. Oh, wait, I do.
[00:09:18] Speaker B: But you know, I love that I celebrate as much as you can.
[00:09:25] Speaker A: Right?
[00:09:25] Speaker B: Celebrate that you're helping the environment in the Netherlands and protecting the fish population. Yeah. That lockmaster might just be going out twice a day and opening it now, but it's nice that they let us participate.
[00:09:39] Speaker A: It gives us something to do. Yep. You know, you're like, I just helped a fish halfway across the world 9 hours ahead of me.
[00:09:47] Speaker B: That's right.
Yeah. So right around lunchtime, it's probably, it's getting dark over there. Yeah, in the fall. So hit your lunch break, hit the fish doorbell. There were times when it was completely maxed out. I popped on and tried to get in and it was closed.
[00:10:04] Speaker A: Same. I had that happen this morning. They were. And it's very polite. They say all the spaces are filled. Feel free to watch other people. Watch for fish?
[00:10:14] Speaker B: Yes. Yeah. Cause they'll pop you over to YouTube, I think it is. Or maybe it's streaming YouTube on their website. Yeah, you can watch. You just can't touch.
[00:10:22] Speaker A: Oh, yeah.
[00:10:25] Speaker B: So that's super excellent.
[00:10:27] Speaker A: And the doorbell is this hilarious rectangle with a circle. It is the most 1980s looking graphics doorbell, and it totally is.
[00:10:35] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:10:36] Speaker A: I wanted to hit it even though I hadn't seen a fish, but then I thought I'd get in trouble, so.
[00:10:41] Speaker B: Yes, don't be frivolous. And they'll take it away.
[00:10:43] Speaker A: I know. I was like, oh, I hovered the mouse over it.
[00:10:48] Speaker B: It is like, it's totally an old school. Just, you can feel what it would feel like, and you know what it's gonna sound like. I don't know what their sounds like on the website. Actually. I should have watched a video.
[00:11:00] Speaker A: Oh, is there actually, like a bing bong? Cause that would make my soul happy.
[00:11:05] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, go check it out, everybody. You can investigate for yourself.
[00:11:11] Speaker A: Ooh, exciting.
[00:11:12] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:11:13] Speaker A: Oh, now I'm. Oh, I'm so invested in the fish doorbell. Yes.
Well, that was great.
[00:11:21] Speaker B: It's a very endorphin high project. Like, it's low key and very chill. And then you get that little. I let it fish through. Which really what you did was send a picture to the lockmaster. But that's okay.
[00:11:35] Speaker A: That's all right. That's good enough. I'm okay with that.
[00:11:37] Speaker B: We interacted with a person in the Netherlands who's doing a desk work.
[00:11:41] Speaker A: He foots down his stroop waffle, he finishes his coffee. He goes and opens up the lock. That's all I need to know.
[00:11:48] Speaker B: That's right.
So this is a very feel good episode.
[00:11:52] Speaker A: Ah, it is. I like that. Do you have. Do you have anything else that you need to wow us with? Okay.
[00:11:58] Speaker B: No. Oh, wait. Yes, I do. Oh, my gosh. How could I have forgotten this? So glad I asked my friend Lindsay. I've known Lindsay since we went to grade school together, so. Hey, Lindsey wanted to know, do fish drink water?
[00:12:10] Speaker A: Oh.
[00:12:11] Speaker B: And the answer is. Yeah, of course. Everything.
I thought it was just gonna be that they eat things and, ah, get moisture. Yes. Did you have a vibe for this? Do you already know this? Do people just know this?
[00:12:26] Speaker A: I'm the wrong person to ask because I look too much stuff up, so.
[00:12:30] Speaker B: Oh, okay. So I kind of want to quiz you now to see if you know. But I'm just going to tell you, the last time I trace, quiz, trace, it was math, and it didn't go well. Because that was mean. So I'm going to tell you, and then you can self assess whether you were right or not. Okay, so fish do absorb the water through their skin and gills. This is osmosis diffusion through water. So if somebody. I've covered this before, but I will say it every time we talk about osmosis. If someone says they are learning through osmosis, their head better be in some water because this is diffusion through water. You throw that book into a bucket with your head, please.
But this is what the fish are in the water. It's absorbing through their skin and gills. It's washing through. So the answer is different if you're a freshwater fish or a saltwater fish. Oh, so freshwater fish, their blood and bodily fluids are saltier than the water that they're in. So this not salty water flowing through their gills. They direct almost all of the water into their mouths and out through the gills. That's enough for them. They're cool saltwater fish. Their fluids are less salty than the water around them. So they can't just allow that water to diffuse freely through their gills because the salt would be like, yes, we're coming in to even you out. And so the saltwater fish would shrivel up and the freshwater fish would explode. Do I have that backwards?
Because the saltwater fish, their blood is less salty than the water. I think I might have that backwards.
[00:14:09] Speaker A: No, no. The saltwater fish is less salty than the salt water. Right.
[00:14:12] Speaker B: Yeah. So to stop the exploding fish phenomenon, their gills have special cells that selectively pump salt in or out of their blood so they can equalize. So they're constantly. They're a salt pump so that they get the right amount of water and salt pumping it out so that they don't die.
[00:14:34] Speaker A: I figured it was gills, but I hadn't ever thought about the salt. Not salt issue.
[00:14:41] Speaker B: Me either. Yeah. So their kidneys are super busy.
[00:14:45] Speaker A: Wow. Dang.
[00:14:47] Speaker B: And I got this research, by the way, got a credit. Ada McVean of McGill University is a bachelor of science students, or was at the time of this writing and wrote this paper up. And so this is all Ada McVean's writing. And at the end of the article, Ada says, in short, some but not all fish drink. And that's kind of like how some but all, not all fish fart.
And I'm like, yes, this is an undergrad and I love them.
[00:15:19] Speaker A: Oh, this person's right after your own heart.
[00:15:22] Speaker B: Yes.
I'm so glad I scrolled because I dropped this in below the picture. Of the lockmaster, and I almost didn't go on and had entirely forgotten, so.
[00:15:33] Speaker A: Oh, I'm glad I asked.
[00:15:34] Speaker B: Yeah. So you knew the freshwater fish answer.
[00:15:38] Speaker A: I figured. I knew that there was stuff like going through the gills and you're getting oxygen, and I figured water was also happening.
[00:15:47] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:15:48] Speaker A: But.
[00:15:49] Speaker B: Hmm.
[00:15:50] Speaker A: Well, we unfortunately have to drink water. We don't have any gills to pass water through, so don't get dehydrated. You know, that's not good.
[00:15:56] Speaker B: Get yourself a brain junk tumbler. You can drink water. Or a mug.
[00:16:00] Speaker A: Yes. I was trying to figure out where to go.
[00:16:07] Speaker B: I am totally in sync today.
[00:16:09] Speaker A: Yay.
[00:16:10] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:16:10] Speaker A: I was like, and dot, dot, dot. Amy picks up the ball.
[00:16:14] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:16:14] Speaker A: Hit the merch store. There's some shirts over there wherever you listen. Like, subscribe. We love that. Don't hit the microphone. That's so loud.
[00:16:22] Speaker B: I wondered what that was.
[00:16:24] Speaker A: I know. It was me hitting a spring. Amy and I will catch you next time when we share more of everything you never knew you wanted to know. And I guarantee not only will you be hydrated, you will not be bored.
