The Brief: A video of a tube that sends salmon over a dam has gone viral in memes about this "fish tube."
DEEP DIVE
First, they did surgery on a grape and now they’ve transported fish through a tube, inspiring a wealth of fish tube memes. A video of a high-tech fish transportation device known as the “Salmon Cannon” has surfaced on Twitter. Created by a company called Whooshh Industries, this pneumatic tube is specially designed to safely move fish over hard-to pass areas. Benefits of this fish tube include its ability to help salmon migrate over dams and to control populations of invasive fish species.
This system helps native fish pass over dams in seconds rather than day pic.twitter.com/aAmhHArjPg
— Dr. Kash Sirinanda (@kashthefuturist) August 8, 2019
Upon seeing a video of the fish tube posted to the news platform Cheddar’s Twitter account internet went wild. The fish tube’s resemblance to an amusement park ride was one main source of these jokes and memes.
I am a:
⚪️ male
⚪️ female
🔘 fishInterested in:
⚪️ male
⚪️ female
🔘 being launched through the fish tube— Roxi Horror 💀🌸 (@roxiqt) August 11, 2019
A new Star Is Born and we’re dead 💀
Lady Gaga as a salmon going through the fish tube pic.twitter.com/04HCcB1vNX
— 𝚂𝚊𝚕 𝙼𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚘𝚜 Hangry Mode (@salmattos) August 13, 2019
BREAKING: Fish tube just qualified for the September debates.
— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) August 13, 2019
Comedian John Oliver hosted a segment on Last Week Tonight about the human innovation behind the Salmon Cannon. He even built his own
“salmon cannon” which he used to smack celebrities in the face with rubber fish.
The Fish Tube And Existential Dread
As Twitter discourse often includes dark topics and speculation about the apocalypse, it’s no surprise that many of these memes touched on the feelings of existential dread that many millennials and others feel day-to-day.
We are all just helpless fish zooming through this tube called life
— Jules (@Julian_Epp) August 12, 2019
PITCH: Millennials are obsessed with the fish tube because it offers salmon the kind of purposeful direction and security that we as a generation have never known pic.twitter.com/6apxktGLXw
— Stephanie Soh (@steph_soh) August 12, 2019
Despite all my rage I’m still just a fish in a tube
— Shenanigans (@Shenanigans_luv) August 12, 2019
Salmon Cannon vs. Trout Plane
Another fish transportation video has been spreading. This one is of a lake being restocked with trout via airplane.
woke: fish tube
bespoke: trout plane pic.twitter.com/1YgSLmPi6a— the thicc husband (@lukeisamazing) August 13, 2019
30-50 Feral Hogs vs. Fish Tube
The sudden virality and wildlife theme of this meme was reminiscent of the recent 30-50 Feral Hogs memes.
You either die as 30-50 feral hogs or live long enough to become a salmon shot through a fish tube
— 🌻Elle 🐈Gato🐈 Maruska 🌻 (@ellle_em) August 13, 2019
How are we gonna make THIS *gestures towards 30-50 feral hogs* fit into THIS *gestures towards fish tube*
— Allen Strickland Williams (@TotallyAllen) August 12, 2019
what if we
safely crossed over
a dam using the
fish tube?
haha just kidding …unless?? pic.twitter.com/vC3dEAcumz— captain clam (@javioooooo) August 12, 2019
me waving goodbye to the fish being launched across the dam through the tube pic.twitter.com/ZnfgY8dn8s
— john (@Scarlet4UrMa) August 12, 2019
you teach a man to fish and he eats for a day. you teach a fish to tube and we tweet for a lifetime.
— Liz Sommer (@liz_lawlz) August 14, 2019
Will Hot Girl Summer be followed by Fish Tube Fall?
Well I guess it's a Hot Girl Summer but a Fish Tube Fall
— Rachel Wenitsky (@RachelWenitsky) August 12, 2019
I took the fish tube less traveled by. And that has made all the difference.
— Morgan Murphy (@morgan_murphy) August 12, 2019