Salmon tube saves fish worldwide
They slide, they glide, they leap tall dams in a single whoosh.
They are salmon, the remarkable migrating fish, which often need to be on the other side of a dam if they want to spawn.
Developed by Whooshh Innovations, the Salmon Cannon has now transported millions of fish over obstacles and it's an idea that may save the salmon and restore ecological balance.
The idea is elegantly simple. Using a series of tubes filled with water and high-pressure air, the device propels salmon over dams and other obstacles, allowing them to reach their spawning grounds.
The process begins as the fish naturally swim into a soft tube. With a burst of pressurized air and water, the salmon are propelled through the tube, soaring over the obstruction and landing safely in the water on the other side. The latest versions of the Salmon Cannon even sort the fish — salmon go over the dam, while random strays are allowed to exit.
The device has been successfully employed in various regions, including the Pacific Northwest in the United States and British Columbia in Canada, aiding the recovery of salmon populations and revitalizing vital ecosystems. See YouTube for several videos of the Whooshh Innovations cannon.
