Quirky livestream that lets viewers help fish is a hit with millions

UTRECHT, Netherlands (AP) — The central Dutch city of Utrecht has installed a “ fish doorbell ” on a river lock that lets viewers of an online livestream alert authorities to fish being held up as they make their springtime migration to shallow spawning grounds.

The idea is simple: An underwater camera at Utrecht's Weerdsluis lock sends live footage to a website. When somebody watching the site sees a fish, they can click a button that sends a screenshot to organizers. When they see enough fish, they alert a water worker who opens the lock to let the fish swim through.

Now in its fifth year, the site has attracted millions of viewers from around the world with its quirky mix of slow TV and ecological activism.

Much of the time, the screen is just a murky green with occasional bubbles, but sometimes a fish swims past. As the water warms up, more fish show up.

Without the help, native freshwater fish like bream, pike and bass can become backed up behind the lock and form easy prey for predators in the spring, when the lock is rarely opened for passing boats.

The bell is the brainchild of ecologist and concept developer Mark van Heukelum. He's been happily surprised at the response, with millions of people from around the world tuning in over the years.

“I guess the combination of a good cause, a beautiful story and just a simple idea generates all this attention," he said.

Anna Nijs, an ecologist with Utrecht municipality, was also amazed at the popularity of the concept around the world.

“We get a lot of fan mail from people who think it’s slow TV and they find it relaxing," said Nijs. Besides, “they appreciate that they can actually do something to help.”

Associated Press writer Mike Corder in The Hague contributed.

Anna Nijs, ecologist with the Utrecht municipality, right, and Mark van Heukelum, ecologist and concept developer, pose at the the lock in the city of Utrecht, Netherlands, Tuesday, March 11, 2025, where a "fish doorbell" was installed that lets viewers of an online livestream alert authorities to fish being held up as they make their springtime migration to shallow spawning grounds. (AP Photo/Aleksandar Furtula)

Rashid Ouchene opens the lock in Utrecht, Netherlands, Tuesday, March 11, 2025, where a "fish doorbell" was installed that lets viewers of an online livestream alert authorities to fish being held up as they make their springtime migration to shallow spawning grounds. (AP Photo/Aleksandar Furtula)

Rashid Ouchene opens the lock in Utrecht, Netherlands, Tuesday, March 11, 2025, where a "fish doorbell" was installed that lets viewers of an online livestream alert authorities to fish being held up as they make their springtime migration to shallow spawning grounds. (AP Photo/Aleksandar Furtula)

Undated photo of a school of fish, with a perch in the left corner, at a river lock in the central Dutch city of Utrecht, Netherlands, where a "fish doorbell" was installed that lets viewers of an online livestream alert authorities to fish being held up as they make their springtime migration to shallow spawning grounds. (Visdeurbel via AP)

Undated photo of a perch fish at a river lock in the central Dutch city of Utrecht, Netherlands, where a "fish doorbell" was installed that lets viewers of an online livestream alert authorities to fish being held up as they make their springtime migration to shallow spawning grounds. (Visdeurbel via AP)

Undated photo of a bream fish at a river lock in the central Dutch city of Utrecht, Netherlands, where a "fish doorbell" was installed that lets viewers of an online livestream alert authorities to fish being held up as they make their springtime migration to shallow spawning grounds. (Visdeurbel via AP)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)