What is a Salmon Cannon?

The battle between technology and nature has been ongoing for centuries, but sometimes technology tries to repair the damage. A perfect example is the salmon cannon, devised to help salmon get upstream despite hydroelectric dams presenting a roadblock—or perhaps, streamblock.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver built their own salmon cannon, allowing Oliver to fire salmon at other late night hosts like his former boss Jon Stewart, as well as other A-list celebrities, both real and animated.

The salmon cannon: part ingenious solution for modern industry’s imposition on Mother Nature, part Monty Python sketch.