The Select Area Fisheries Enhancement Project is a well-established cooperative program that strives to deliver quality commercial and recreational salmon fishing opportunities in a setting which maximizes the return of hatchery production into fisheries.  Funding support of this project is shared by the Bonneville Power Administration, the states of Oregon and Washington, Mitchell Act funds, and fisher/processor voluntary contributions.

The objectives of this project are mitigation, protection of endangered species, minimizing negative impact of SAFE fisheries and production on the environment, and providing for the most efficient use of hatchery stocks.  All objectives are accomplished by producing salmon for harvest in the lower Columbia River commercial and sports fisheries locally, and regionally for commercial and sports fisheries in the Pacific Northwest coastal zones.  The fish produced under work elements (WE) 176 "Produce Hatchery Fish", select area bright fall Chinook, spring Chinook and lower Columbia River hatchery coho provide fish for harvest when fishing is curtailed to protect endangered stocks of fish and in select areas where the incidence of endangered fish is minimal and closely monitored.  The fish produced from this program are able to be identified separate from the endangered stocks by marking accomplished in WE 158 "Mark/Tag Animals".  Negative impact on the environment is avoided through the successful net-pen rearing strategies that facilitate rapid out-outmigration and reduce incidence of disease and by monitoring the accumulative results of rearing operations in the estuary through WE 165 "Produce Environmental Compliance Documentation - Project Reporting Requirements.  This is accomplished through the benthic invertebrate and sediment sampling with results analyzed and reported on to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.  Minimizing the incidence of hatchery fish on the spawning grounds by maximizing harvest of hatchery fish occurs through active in-season management of the commercial fisheries, fishing periods, gear restrictions and area boundaries, which have been refined over time to minimize impacts to listed species. Harvest rates are monitored under WEs in the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife's SAFE contract WE 157 "Collect/Generate/Validate Field and Lab Data, and WE 162 "Analyze/Interpret Data and reported under WE 132  "Produce (Annual) Progress Report".  

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