The invention, built to catch fish over hydroelectric dams that block the migration routes of these fish, is a tube in the form of a translucent channel suspended in the air that drives them across the river.
The rapid waters that end up in a hydroelectric dam to generate energy often drag several salmon. And when they hit that wall, the fish get caught and often die. But, thanks to a viral video on the Internet, this problem can come to an end in many dams around the world.
An American developed a salmon cannon that is driving the virtual community crazy because of the astonishment it causes to see these fish "fly through a tube".
The story has its roots in Washington state agriculture. In 2011, while testing his mechanical fruit harvester in the field to collect and classify fruit from trees, Whooshh Innovation CEO Vincent Bryan III observed helicopters flying overhead with large buckets. They were moving migratory salmon over a dam. Later, returning to a citrus orchard in California that was alive with 50-year-old trees the previous year, was now completely dead. It was explained that the irrigation water that fed the garden had been diverted to save the salmon.
The wonders of salmon that returns through the scales of fish we learned in elementary school were now in conflict with agriculture, our own sense of the changing environment and our passion for fish and fishing.
How the salmon transfer method works (Photo: i Graphic)
Thinking that there had to be a better way to share water resources, Whooshh began testing his fruit transport tubes in fish. It worked, and it was the “a-ha” moment that made the Company move from fruit to fish. Whooshh first tested its technology in live fish in 2011, and the technology has undergone numerous independent and peer-reviewed studies.
The invention, built to catch fish over hydroelectric dams that block their migration routes, is a tube in the form of a translucent channel suspended in the air.
The route that the fish does, which probably seems years in time, is actually only a few seconds, until the animal is spit on the other side of a dam.
People were immediately fascinated by the fish gadget, and they have quickly congratulated the inventor of the strange fish-flying machine.
Comedian John Oliver reminded everyone that he made his own version of the cannon in an episode of "Last Week Tonight" in 2014, when he "threw" salmon at Jon Stewart's desk on "The Daily Show."
YouTube video: Salmon Cannon: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
The cannon that does not hurt the fish
What does the man behind the fish cannon think about the viral fame of his contraption? The president of the company Whooshh Innovations, Vince Bryant, said the video, created by the Cheddar news network, was created with images dating back to 2014, when its first cannon was sold.
The first system required that workers manually put the fish in the tube to avoid prey, but today's version allows the fish to swim inside the tube themselves, he said, noting that sending a salmon several meters in the air is An important engineering feat.
"The salmon are propelled by the differential pressure between the front and the back of the fish and are sent to the flexible tube that expands to its size. Once inside, the fish are surrounded with water to keep them breathing. And in a few seconds , they land on the other side of a dam, where they can safely reach their spawning grounds, "said the expert.
What bothers Bryant the most is the claim that fish feel pain, he said. He cited an April study of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory that found that the salmon that crosses the canyon suffered fewer injuries than traditional systems such as fish scales, forcing the salmon to jump "rungs" upriver. "There is no stress for fish," he said. "It should be a comfortable trip for them."
As Bryan reported, salmon travel at a speed of about 35 kilometers per hour, so at least the trip is fast. The canyon moves around 50,000 fish every 24 hours, and is an efficient way to help move salmon to the top of the rivers where they lay their eggs.
The company sold 20 of its salmon cannon systems, which are much more inexpensive than traditional fish ladders.
YouTube video: WHOOSHH A NEW ERA IN FISH PASSAGE HD
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An American developed a salmon cannon that is driving the virtual community crazy because of the astonishment it causes to see these fish "fly through a tube"..png)
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