"boater" - Recover from what?

If I were a wild salmon I would swim around and around in the ocean and sound until I found the Skagit River and then I would swim up the Skagit just a little ways but not so far that I would get sick and start to die because I would want to be fresh and tasty when I eventually found Plunker's bait and then I would bite Plunker's bait and get hooked on the very first bite and then Plunker would reel me in and bonk me and bleed me and gut me and then take me home for dinner and I would be a very very very happy wild salmon for having served my purpose which is to be savored by someone who truly appreciates me.