In its 1993 Strategy for Salmon, the Northwest Power Planning Council (now Northwest Power and Conservation Council) recommended that terminal or "select area" fishing sites be identified and developed to harvest abundant fish stocks while minimizing the incidental harvest of depressed stocks.  The Council called on the Bonneville Power Administration to fund a study to evaluate potential select area fishery sites and opportunities.  This project is an extension of the hatchery system that utilizes existing hatchery facilities to spawn, hatch, and conduct initial rearing of juvenile salmonids for subsequent outplanting to net-pen facilities at each of the select area fishery evaluation (SAFE) sites.  The project has been conducted in three distinct stages: an initial research phase to investigate potential sites, salmon stocks and methodolgies; a second phase of expansion in Youngs Bay and introduction into areas of greatest potential as shown from the initial state; and a final phase of establishment of select fisheries at full capacity at all acceptable sites. The final phase is intended to establish select area fisheries at full capacity at all acceptable sites through adaptive management strategies, however no site is currently rearing all species of fish at full capacity, and several potential sites have not been thoroughly evaluated.  Although expansion has been constrained somewhat by stock availability, limitations on funding will control progression into this third phase of the program.

The current SAFE sites are Deep River and Steamboat Slough in Washington; and Blind Slough, Tongue Point and Youngs Bay in Oregon.  Fisheries at these sites have been adopted and developed with results of significant economic benefit to lower Columbia River communities through increased interest in select area fisheries by both commercial and recreational user groups. In conjunction with rearing and releasing smolts into SAFE sites for the purpose of fishery development, many fish propagation studies have been initated such as avian avoidance and predation, subsurface feeding, winter dormancy, rearing density, size at release, time of release, smolt condition and migration rates and adult holding.  All sites are monitored for water quality to determine whether any change is occurring in local biochemical composition.

This project will continue the development and expansion of the SAFE sites to maximize harvest of returning adults and minimize catch of non-SAFE stocks at existing and potential sites; coordinate activities with Washington and Oregon Departments of Fish and Wildlife, Clatsop County, Bonneville Power Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Salmon For All; and compile project results and information.