It started with apples.
The
viral Salmon Cannon created by fish transport developers Whooshh Innovations began with a way to quickly and gently transport the easily bruised fruit on farms. But seeing the need to more efficiently move large numbers of salmon over dams, Whooshh evolved into a means of channeling hefty fish at 25 feet per second through tubes hundreds of feet long.
"Apples are where we started," said Whooshh CEO Vince Bryan. "Our whole DNA is 'how do you move something gently without bruising it?'"
Due to the
system of hydroelectric dams blocking rivers across the Pacific Northwest and other regions, salmon often need to be carefully transported upriver, where they can spawn and perpetuate their naturally, culturally, and economically valuable species. The short Cheddar-produced Salmon Cannon video recently
tweeted out by self-described "futurist" Kash Sirinanda, who has no involvement with Whooshh, sits at over 24 million views as of August 13, but the cannon is no gimmick.
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