From an early age, Haida children learned to dig clams, spear octopus and gather seaweed and mussels. Northwest coastal First Nations also went whaling in their canoes. They would spear the whale, and then a float attached to line connected to the canoe prevented the animal from diving. Whaling was dangerous, but was very rewarding. They rigged large nets, in places where the salmon were concentrated, like narrow points in a river or under a waterfall, then wait for salmon to be caught by them. They learned to catch and preserve seafood by smoking them, then put salt and sugar on them, dried and froze them for eating during the long cold winters. They prepared seafoods in soups and cooked their food by steaming, frying, baking, and open fire.