Safe Return is a memorial to deceased fishermen at Zuanich Point Park in Bellingham, Washington, United States.
Succeeding a simple plaque erected at Zuanich Point in 1975, the statue stands atop a large granite plinth featuring the names of local fishermen lost at sea.
[1] A memorial to deceased fishermen was erected in 1975 at Zuanich Point Park, adjacent to Squalicum Harbor, and dedicated by the Puget Sound Gillnetters Women's Auxiliary.
Alongside the Whatcom Maritime Historical Society, the Committee began collecting funds the following year, setting an initial fundraising goal of $200,000 ($365,801 in 2023),[1] although the final memorial budget was around $150,000.
[1][6] Fairbanks reported initially struggling to create a design representing modern fishing, due to widespread mechanization.
[8][9] The statue was publicly exhibited without its plinth at Zuanich Point Park on September 6, 1998, before entering storage at a seafood restaurant at the harbor.
[10][11] The granite plinth, trucked to the site from South Dakota, was installed on May 26, 1999, with the statue then hoisted atop the pedestal by crane.
[12] The memorial features a bronze statue of a fisherman atop a granite pedestal bearing the names of the deceased fishermen, alongside plaques depicting local fishing.