The purpose of this project is to develop and expand select area, known stock fisheries in the Columbia River basin to allow harvest of strong anadromous salmonid stocks, while providing greater protection of depressed fish stocks.  Investigations of "terminal" or "select area" fisheries in the Columbia River began in the early 1970's with releases of Mitchell Act hatchery coho salmon into Youngs Bay in Oregon near the Columbia River mouth.  These early studies showed that juvenile fish imprinted to the bay and homed there as returning adults with little straying.  These early releases also survived and contributed to ocean and inriver fisheries at a much higher rate than control fish released directly from the hatchery.  Salmon returns to Youngs Bay allowed creation of an expanded select area commercial fishery.  Extensive sampling of the Youngs Bay spring fisheries in 1992 and 1993 showed that the salmon catch consisted of at least 98 percent targeted hatchery fish and less than 2 percent upfiver fish (ODFW 1994). Regional interest in select area fisheries grew, due both to the emerging information of its benefits and a declining status of mixed-stock fisheries caused by depressed wild salmon runs.  In its 1993 Strategy For Salmon, the Northwest Power Planning Council (now Northwest Power and Conservation Council) recommended that select area fishing sites be identified and developed to harvest abundant fish stocks while minimizing the incidental harvest of weak stocks. Thus began the Select Area Fisheries Evaluation project. The objectives of this project are:
* To determine suitability of the Deep River, Steamboat Slough, Tongue Point basin, Blind Slough and other sites for rearing and release of salmon
* To determine the potential for the Tonue Point, South Channel, Deep River, Blind Slough and Steamboat Slough sites for harvest of target and non-target stocks
* To evaluate the suitability of Willamette and Cowlitz stock spring chinook, select area bright fall chinook and Columbia River early stock coho for optimal use in select area fishing sites
* To coordinate activities with Washington and Oregon Departments of Fish & Wildlife, Clatsop Economic Development Council Fisheries Project, Bonneville Power Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Salmon For All
* To continue development and expansion activities at existing and potential sites
* To continue practice of cost sharing of project expenses between Washington, Oregon and Clatsop Economic Development Council
* To compile Select Area Fisheries Evaluation project results and information