Sometimes surfing the net can take you to fascinating plaices.

A ‘fish doorbell’ website is taking the internet by storm, with more than eight million internet users checking out the site this year alone. 

What’s the hook? The site live streams footage from an underwater webcam at the Weerdsluis lock in the Dutch city of Utrecht’s canal system. 

When fish appear before the camera, internet users can press a digital ‘doorbell’ that alerts the lock operator, who can then open the lock, letting the fish through the sluice gate.

The doorbell operates from March to June each year, when fish are migrating from deep rivers and canals to shallow streams and ditches as part of their reproductive cycle. This year, internet users rang the bell over 105,000 times to help many thousands of fish through the lock.

The introduction of the doorbell, which was launched in 2021, means that fish don’t have to wait as long as they once did for the lock to open, making them less vulnerable to getting eaten by herons and cormorants. 

The website notes: ‘Fish are an important part of the water in Utrecht… they eat water insects and help maintain good water quality. That’s why we help fish on their annual migration to a good place to lay eggs and reproduce.’  

Internet users can also track how many fish species pass the lock. This year, perch and bream were the most commonly spotted fish, it’s revealed, while more unusual fish species such as catfish and eels were also sighted. 

The site features a gallery of the ‘cutest fish photos’ that have been captured by internet users via the webcam. 

The majority of the site’s users are from Germany and the U.S, but there are also many from the Netherlands, Britain, Austria, Switzerland and Canada.

Sharing their enthusiasm for the doorbell, Twitter user ‘DustOnBothSides’ wrote: ‘I just rang the fish doorbell for a pike. Exciting!’

And user ‘ryan-cw’ said: ‘Having the time of my life operating the fish doorbell.’ While Dr Laurence Datrier wrote: ‘Just saw two fish on the fish doorbell website, what a thrill.’

Earlier this year, a stone from Utrecht’s 14th-century Dom Tower was placed in the water, in front of the camera, and it has proven a hit with the fish that approach the lock, giving them a place to hide and feed.

Linda Voortman, a politician for the Netherlands’ Green party, explained: ‘It was fascinating to see the positive effect the one stone had underwater… we are really expanding the habitat of fish in our waters by adding more relief and structure underwater. The more protrusions and aquatic plants in the water, the more hiding and feeding places for fish.’ 

Commenting on the doorbell, Voortman said: ‘It is hugely popular internationally. That shows how much people enjoy the fish doorbell, but also how important it is. It is a wonderful initiative to increase knowledge about nature under water and in the city.

‘It is great that so many people are enthusiastic about it. It is important that animals can move freely through Utrecht. And a good and green environment also contributes to a pleasant and healthy living environment for people.’

The doorbell also helps to educate local schoolchildren about Holland’s aquatic life. This spring, primary-school-age children were invited to the lock to learn about the doorbell initiative, which is a collaborative project of the Municipality of Utrecht, the ‘De Stichtse Rijnlanden’ water board and environmental services firm Oak Consultants. 

Want to press the doorbell for yourself? It’ll return on March 1, 2024. Visit visdeurbel.nl.

Would you have the stomach to reel in your own fish dinner from a tank?

There are quirky restaurants in Japan that give you a chance to find out the answer – they store fish in huge tanks, with guests given fishing rods and nets so that they can catch one for the chef to cook for them.

Several TikT­­­­­okers have captured footage of the highly novel eateries – with many commenters left feeling queasy about the concept.

One viral video by Australian travel blogger Tina Pik documented her trip to the Osaka branch of Fishing Restaurant Zauo, a restaurant chain that’s been inviting dinners to catch their own supper since the 1980s. In it, she shows how staff bang a drum when diners successfully catch a fish and how chefs transform the catch into ‘a yummy sashimi or deep fried or steamed fish’ dish.

The video snapped up more than 17million views, but reactions were mixed, with user ‘Nawiti Nkhoma123’ writing: ‘I can’t eat something I’ve met face to face… that just changed everything.’ TikToker ‘Clayton’ added that it ‘just feels wrong’. 

Another user, ‘Porseleinen_Ponnie’, said: ‘Try to imagine this from the point of view of the fish.’ And ‘niknak8519’ remarked: ‘My problem is I’d feel sorry for the fish I caught, put it back and go home hungry.’

Others, however, were more enamoured by the prospect. User ‘Alex’ said: ‘I love food and I love fishing, so I need to go here!’ And user ‘Nor’ said: ‘I’m going to add this to my tour plan.’ 

San Diego-based bloggers Brandon and Mary, who run the YouTube channel ‘Ferrers In Flight’, shared a video from the same restaurant on a holiday in Osaka, explaining how lobster, prawns, clams and flounder are among the seafood that can be plucked from the tanks. 

The costs vary depending on the type of fish you’ve caught. A red snapper, for instance, is around £17.50 (3,245 Japanese yen/$23). If diners struggle to catch anything, staff can step in and reel in a catch for them. 

Speaking to MailOnline Travel about the experience, Brandon and Mary explain how the staff ‘provide some bait you can put on the hook’ when you start fishing. They continue: ‘Once you drop the hook in front of [the fish], they are quick to bite!’ 

The couple, who visited the eatery with their young daughter, managed to catch one fish, which they shared between the three of them. They say: ‘We picked for half of our fish to be fried, and half grilled. They have a variety of ways to have it prepared, and you really can’t go wrong with any combination.’

Their footage captures the dining experience, with seats built inside the wooden boats at the centre of the restaurant. 

Overall, they said it was a ‘great experience’, adding: ‘It was fun to see tourists and locals alike enjoying a nice meal that we happened to have caught ourselves!’

Another TikToker, Nicholas Teo, shared a video that showed him catching his supper in a Tokyo branch of the popular Zauo restaurant chain.

In it, he reveals that ‘you can actually come here and eat without fishing, but if you fish they give you a discount.’ 

He adds that the chefs can use the ‘fish head and bones to make miso soup for you’.

Another restaurant, Jumbo-tsuribune Tsurikichi, which is located in Osaka’s Shinsekai neighbourhood, offers the same experience, as documented in a video by TikTok user Parisa.

She admits that she was ‘a little sceptical’ about fishing for her dinner at first, but thought she would give it a try anyway. 

And she was pleasantly surprised. The travel TikToker describes the fishing restaurant as unlike any place she’s ever been to, saying: ‘We ended up going for the lobster steamed in garlic and butter and prawns tempura style… this was some of the best seafood I’ve ever had. The freshness is unmatched and I would highly recommend this place if you’re looking for a unique dinner experience.’

She added: ‘Although I’m not a fishing expert, I will admit that the experience was a fun blend of challenge and enjoyment. While I found handling the fishing rods a bit tricky it didn’t take away from the experience. 

‘Fortunately, the restaurant provided nets for those of us who struggled, and I ended up using one myself. Curiously, it seemed like the fish had a hunch they were on the menu and purposely avoided the rods, creating a game of cat and mouse in the underwater world.’ 

This phenomenon briefly made its way overseas – Zauo opened a New York restaurant in 2018, but it shut down after less than two years in business.

For many Britons, a trip to the seaside just isn’t complete without a fresh portion of fish and chips. 

But the beloved dish could soon become a thing of the past, according to a new study. 

Researchers from the University of Essex claim Britons should ditch white, flaky fish like cod in favour of more local varieties, such as herring and mackerel.

Dr Anna Sturrock, senior author of the study, said: ‘In the face of climate change, global overfishing and potentially restrictive trade barriers, it is important that we promote locally sourced seafood and provide clearer guidance on non-seafood alternatives. 

‘Ultimately this will help meet national food security demands as well as health and environmental targets.’ 

In the study, the team analysed how major policy changes over the last 120 years have influenced patterns in UK seafood production, trade and consumption.  

Fish is one of the most traded foods in the world, and since the 1970s there’s been a rapid increase in the UK’s seafood imports, according to the team.

‘The increasing popularity of tuna, shrimps and prawns highlights how UK consumers have largely not changed their eating habits to reflect changes in local seafood availability over the years,’ said Dr Georg Engelhard, co-author of the study. 

Popular flaky, white fish such as cod and haddock is largely imported into the UK from other countries, the scientists say. 

Instead, the team suggests we should opt for species more common to our own waters. 

This includes herring and mackerel, which are currently largely exported to the Netherlands and France. 

Luke Harrison, who led the study, said: ‘Our research highlighted that policy changes in the mid-1970s, particularly the introduction of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) and the UK joining the European Union, drove a growing mismatch between the seafood produced in the UK and what we ate domestically.

‘Exacerbated by stock declines caused by fishing, climate change and habitat loss, this growing disconnect far out-scales any previous mismatches between availability and consumption – including those seen during both world wars – and we have seen an increasing reliance on seafood imports and a decrease in domestic landings.’

The NHS recommends that a healthy, balanced diet should include at least two portions of fish a week, including one of oily fish. 

However, Britons currently eat 31 per cent less seafood than these guidelines, according to the study. 

The research comes shortly after scientists dished up the world’s first 3D-printed lab-grown fish, claiming it flakes and ‘melts in your mouth’ just like the real deal.

Cells were grown in a lab to create the futuristic grouper fillets, without the need to put further pressure on dwindling fish populations. 

In a matter of months, Israel-based Steakholder Foods hopes to bring its food to the market, allowing others to try the ‘world-class’ fish for themselves.

‘We are delighted to have produced the world’s first whole fillet cultivated fish in partnership with Steakholder Foods,’ said Mihir Pershad, CEO of Umami Meats which supplied the fish cells.

‘In this first tasting, we showcased a cultivated product that flakes, tastes, and melts in your mouth exactly like excellent fish should. In the coming months, we intend to announce our plans for bringing this world-class cultivated fish to the market.’

Employee of the month! Fish and chip shop worker moonlights as an EAGLE to stop seagulls stealing food on Whitby seafront

By Monique Rubins

Published: 06:03 EDT, 23 May 2023 | Updated: 07:26 EDT, 23 May 2023