The Bonneville Power Administration initiated the Select Area Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Project in 1993 at the recommendation of the Northwest Power Planning Council to investigate terminal fisheries on the lower Columbia River.  Terminal fisheries are being explored as a means to increase sport and commercial harvest of hatchery fish while providing greater protection for weak stocks of salmon and steelhead including those protected under the Endangered Species Act.  Initial funding for the SAFE Project covered a comprehensive, 10-year feasibility study which was planned in three phases: site investigation, initiation of smolt production and releases at the most suitable sites, and increasing fish production to full capacity at all sites.

There are currently four Select Area Fishing sites: Youngs Bay, Blind Slough and Tongue Point in Oregon and Deep River in Washington.  Each site provides both recreational and commercial fishing opportunities, although season structure and target species differ with current management goals and production strategies.  Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Clatsop County Economic Development Council are co-contractors for the SAFE Project.  Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) receives $595,154 of the approximate $1.6 million FY 2006 budget for the project, of which $464,094 or 78% of the funds are used directly for fish production and fish marking costs.  The remainder of ODFW's share of the contract or $131,950 covers fishery sampling, stream surveys, hatchery sampling, test fishing, fishery management and analysis, project coordination, administration and other costs.  ODFW currently produces about 850,000 spring chinook at Gnat Creek Hatchery and 700,000 fall chinook at Klaskanine and Big Creek hatcheries.

During 1993-1994, five potential sites in Oregon were identified as potential locations for the development of net-pen rearing facilities and fisheries for returning adult salmon.  Each site was evaluated for rearing and acclimation potential, site accessibility, capacity for fishers, and the potential to impact non-local salmonid stocks.  During 1994-1996, water quality and benthic monitoring surveys were conducted to establish baseline conditions prior to the construction of any net pens.  During the same time period, extensive test fishing was conducted at each site prior to the release of any juveniles to determine the seasonal variation in the use of each site by non-local salmonids as well as appropriate fishing boundaries and time frames for fisheries.  Based upon the initial site investigation, Tongue Point, Blind Slough, and Youngs Bay were selected as the most suitable sites in Oregon for fish rearing and fisheries.

Experimental releases of coho were made from Tongue Point and Blind Slough in 1995.  Coho were used during the initial production phase because of greater availability and the shorter maturation cycle.  Spring chinook were subsequently reared and released from Youngs Bay, Blind Slough, and Tongue Point.  Two stocks of fall chinook (upriver bright and Cole Rivers or select area bright) were evaluated at all sites.  Upriver bright fall chinook releases were discontinued in 1998 because of low survival and high stray rates.  

Experimental fishing seasons were established at each site to harvest the initial adult returns from the experimental releases.  Fishery landings are extensively sampled to determine stock and age composition and recover coded wire tags.  Sampling of the recreational fisheries, spawning grounds, and at the hatcheries provides additional tag recovery data that is used to monitor survival, stray rates, and fishery contribution.  Production, acclimation, and release strategies have varied over time at each site as empirical results from CWT releases have been analyzed to determine which methods have the best survival, highest fishery contribution, and lowest stray rate.  For all sites combined, annual SAFE project smolt releases during 1993-2005 have ranged between 2.0-4.2 million coho, 0.4-1.8 million spring chinook, 0.1-0.6 million upriver bright fall chinook, and 0.1-1.4 million select area bright fall chinook.

The SAFE Program releases high quality hatchery salmon smolts from net pen sites in terminal fishing areas.  These fish subsequently provide significant harvest opportunity for sport and commercial fishers when they return as adults.  The economic value of the fishery, as measured in ex-vessel dollars, has increased from approximately $198,000 in 1996 to $1.2 million in 2004.  The SAFE program has demonstrated high survival rates for smolts released by the project, high harvest rates and low stray rates for returning adults, low impacts to non-local salmonids, and high economic value to the fishers and the communities that benefit from the fisheries.  Plans for the third phase of the project, maximizing production releases for all species at all sites has been limited by available funding.