The gasoline-powered, ocean-going wooden fishing boat revolutionized the salmon fishing industry in Oregon. It could cross the bar more safely, making it possible to catch higher quality fish by trolling, a technique brought over by Norwegian settlers who caught cod the same way in the North Sea. Before that, salmon were fished only during the heavy spawning runs in the river, when fishermen in small boats would use nets or hooks to pull out fish while rowing up the bay with the incoming tide. It was said that when the salmon were running in those days, the fish were so thick you could walk across the bay on their backs and get to the other side with your boots still dry.