In Defense of the Fisher

     The fisher, sometimes called "fisher cat", is not a cat, it rarely eats fish, and many people don't even know it exists. Martes pennanti is a member of the family mustelidae, the weasel family that includes otters, ferrets, minks, and martens. Fishers are deep forest animals; stealthy and quick in the trees as well as on the ground. They are clever survivors, eating almost anything, from bird eggs and small mammals, to carrion, nuts, and berries. They are also fearless, and are known for their ability to kill and eat porcupines. They are usually around four to eleven pounds, and the females are considerably smaller than the males. With dark fur and big paws, they look like a big mink mixed with a bear.

(Here's a short video of a fisher, if you've never seen one before! Click here)

     It is no surprise that many people in the Adirondacks have never seen a fisher. In the 1800s and early 1900s fishers were over-trapped and extirpated from the region. Extensive logging in the Adironadacks lead to habitat destruction, and fishers weren't seen again in the park until the late 1900s. Now they are slowly returning with forest re-growth, but not everyone thinks this is a good thing.
     I have always been fascinated by the mustelids (wolverines, martens, fishers, etc.), but throughout my life I have often encountered, especially in my home of Connecticut, a strong aversion towards the dreaded "fisher cats". Throughout New England and in the Adirondacks, the fisher has been a kind of horror story: "Don't go out in the woods at night, kids, or the fisher cat will get you!" I am thoroughly convinced that this is due to a lack of education on the animal. People are haunted and frightened by the cries of the fisher, which is a terrifying, human-like screaming sound, but they don't really know what it is. Another misconception is that if your house cat or toy dog goes missing, it was a fisher that took it. Though fishers have occasionally been known to eat neighborhood cats and small dogs, they are no different than other wild predators that will attack pets that are left outside at night. It is much more likely that a coyote got your tabby.

    Another perplexing urban legend that many people I've met are convinced is true, is that fishers commonly attack people and small children. There has been one documented attack by a fisher on a human, and said fisher had rabies. Healthy fishers do their best at avoiding humans. They dislike going out into open spaces, and won't venture near human areas unless there is readily available food, like an overturned garbage bin or sometimes a tempting chihuahua. I understand the anger and pain of losing a pet, but the solution is to keep your pets inside if you live in an area with large wild predators, or go outside with your pets at night, or even to invest in an electric fence. The fact that fishers sometimes eat pets does not mean they are evil animals and should be eradicated. The Adirondack Almanac's article by Ellen Rathbone captures my opinion perfectly:

"One of the comments I most frequently hear when visitors look at our fisher mount is something along the lines of “these are mean animals.” I make a point of telling them that “mean” is a human characteristic. Fishers are fishers. They are weasels, they are predators ...  If cornered, any animal will fight – a fisher may be just a bit more aggressive because it is a predator and used to taking on others. Does this make the animal mean? No – it makes it a successful hunter."

      The fisher is an important predator in the forest ecosystems of the Adirondacks, and instead of fearing this intelligent, beautiful animal, it is important to remember that it is an endangered species in the Adirondacks and should be supported. The Department of Environmental Conservation has been making several moves to preserve fisher habitat. Hunting fishers is banned in New York State and the trapping season has been reduced to less than a month every year. Slowly, these fascinating animals are coming back into the park. More and more people have been lucky enough to catch sight of these shadowy animals disappearing around a tree or into the canopy. Keep an eye out, and don't get spooked if you hear a shrieking fisher in the woods behind your house. They are no creepier than yelping coyotes, and they are a symbol of the forest ecosystem repairing itself as the natural bigger predators of the woods return.

Sources:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/99836.html

http://www.jamestownpress.com/news/2007-11-08/news/025.html

http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2010/09/the-fisher-amazing-adirondack-weasel.html
http://www.timesunion.com/tuplus-business/article/Fearless-fisher-gets-break-in-Adirondacks-6093213.php#photo-7555020
http://www.damnedct.com/beware-the-fisher-cat
http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2009/02/13/your-new-neighbors-the-fishers
http://www.mnh.si.edu/mna/image_info.cfm?species_id=152
http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/mammals/fisher/

Photos:
http://www.pbase.com/tmurray74/image/109926324
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/3-fisher-martes-pennanti-carol-gregory.html