In the pre-industrial past salmon used to swim happily upriver to their spawning grounds, unhindered by nothing more than a few grizzly bears and an occasionally voracious beaver.
Now, in this age of hyproelectric dams and environmental damage, it can be trickier.
Well thanks to Whooshh Innovations, their struggles may be over. Whooshh has come up with a literal fish cannon, which enables salmon to swim into a tube and be shot more than 500 feet into the air, before landing safely in the water upstream.
The cannon — which can also be employed in fish production — potentially solves the problem of blocked migrations, which can have a dramatic impact on an ecosystem.
There is already a test run at the Roza Dam in Washington State, and more are expected. The Verge has more details including an interview with the company, who appear to be aware of the Pythonesque side of this invention.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/08/12/salmon-cannon_n_5670825.html
