Salvaging is the practice of using a Salvager module to harvest wrecks, acquiring Salvage used to build rigs or be sold on the market.
The Salvager and Tractor Beam modules that are the tools of the salvager’s trade require a free highslot. As such, destroyers, with their copious high slots, are the typical ships of a salvage pilot.
Salvaging wrecks, naturally, requires wrecks to salvage. As such, it is common to team up with a mission-runner or ratter, following behind them and cleaning up the wreckage left in their wake. Alternately, you can search a system’s asteroid belts, or use Combat Probes to scan down a mission-runner and salvage their wrecks whether they want you to or not.
Tech Two wrecks can provide exceptionally valuable salvage, but rats that leave such wrecks are very rare; the primary source of Tech Two salvage is the aftermath of battles between players. Picking the bones of a PvP battlefield can be extremely lucrative, but if you’re not allied with one of the parties to the battle, may result in you just adding your own wreck to the pile.
Salvaging can be a nice income stream with a very low skillpoint requirement, which does not require putting yourself at substantial risk. It can also be a nice way to socialize, if cooperating with the person creating the wrecks you salvage.