As we make technological advances and expand into remote areas, it’s imperative to avoid disturbing nature in the process. For instance, when building dams, we must make sure they don’t hinder the passage of fish across the river. Sometimes, we ensure this by using technology itself, such as the Salmon Cannon.
While dams are useful for us, they act as a daunting barrier for migrating fish. This can interfere negatively with the fish species that travel upstream for important purposes, including spawning. Salmon Cannon from Whooshh Innovations resolves this issue by transporting the fish to their destination efficiently and conveniently.
The cannon, which is basically a tube that launches fish across a distance, has steadily become popular for fish relocation over the years. Here’s a video that shows the Salmon Cannon helping the fish to skip over huge dams in seconds.
How does the Salmon Cannon work?
The U.S.-based Whooshh Innovations has cleverly designed the Salmon Cannon to be effective and safe for the fish. Its working is based on creating a differential pressure inside the tube to naturally move the fish along the path. This passage takes a short time and happens smoothly. In the words of Whooshh’s Vince Bryan, “It’s like a slip n’ slide going uphill.”
During this process, a fish is first put into a tube that has very less friction. The interior of the tube builds higher pressure behind the fish and lower pressure ahead of it, making it naturally push forward via atmospheric pressure. Moreover, the inside of the tube mimics the underwater conditions, so the fish inherently starts to swim inside the tube, further helping its movement. To keep the fish breathing comfortably, the tube has water misters every few feet.
From the tube, the fish ends up in a trap box built into a truck. Once all the fish are collected there, the truck carries them to the desired location and releases them into the water.
The Salmon Cannon has gone viral on multiple occasions in the past. Besides that, it has gained acceptance from government agencies, who are looking to relocate fish, as well. The firm is also testing improved variants of the transportation system to cross longer distances.
What do you think of this creative product? Sound off in the comments below. By the way, this isn’t the only time fish have been part of ingenious projects because the U.S. has also previously pondered their use as aquatic spies.
