by: Barry Sabean
1989
Date of Post: March, 2004
Fishers are valuable furbearers, well known for their ability to prey on porcupines. It was a considerable blow to our province when these animals started to disappear from our forests. In 1867, J. Gilpin wrote in the Proceedings and Transactions of the Nova Scotia Institute of Science: "Never very plenty, they (fishers) are rapidly becoming extinct in our province; from 150 to 200 are the utmost now taken yearly." Our last known specimen was reported to have been taken in 1922.
What caused the fisher's disappearance? Unregulated trapping, combined with habitat changes resulting from logging, forest fires and human settlement, are generally blamed. This was a familiar story in all of southern Canada. By 1900 the fisher population had been greatly reduced throughout much of its continent-wide range.
Protective legislation, habitat improvements and fisher re-introductions have resulted in the restoration of the fisher throughout most of its historic range.
In Nova Scotia, 12 ranch-raised fishers were released into the Tobeatic Game Sanctuary in 1947 and 1948. In a second re-introduction from 1963 - 1966, 92 wild fishers from Maine were released into the eastern mainland portion of the province. Both introductions were successful. But although fishers can be found scattered throughout mainland Nova Scotia, populations remain low.
The fisher (Martes pennanti) does not, as the name implies, eat fish. The name likely originates from the animal's similarity to the European polecat, which was sometimes called "fichet" or "fitche".
Fishers - like mink, marten and skunk - are members of the weasel family. They have a long slender body and a somewhat bushy tail about half that long. Their long, supple neck tapers to a pointed face with short, rounded ears and black, beady eyes. The legs are short and sturdy and the feet are equipped with sharp claws, When reflected in strong light at night, their eyes appear as bright spots of pale green.
Males average about 62 cm (24 in) long (excluding tail) and weigh about 4.8 kg. (10.6 lb.). Females are 51 cm (20 in.) long and weigh only half as much. The largest fisher on record was a male from Maine which tipped the scales at over 9 kg. (20 lb.).
While the fur on the tail, legs and hindquarters is usually black, the shoulders and head are often grizzled gold and silver - particularly in the males. The fur has stiff glossy guard hairs and s silky undercoat. The female's coat is normally blacker and less coarse than the male's and more valuable in the fur industry.
Although strong, agile climbers, fishers obtain most of their food on the ground, feeding primarily on snowshoe hare, porcupine, deer (carrion) and small mammals. They are capable of killing a young fawn, but this would be a rare occurrence. Other less common food sources include birds, fruits, nuts and berries.
Fishers are the only predators which regularly prey on porcupines. This has made them popular with foresters and woodlot owners. Several researchers have noted decreases in porcupine numbers, probably as a result of the re-introductions.
In the winter a single porcupine kill can sustain a male fisher for 20 days. Fishers kill porcupines by repeated attacks to the unquilled face area. This process may take half an hour or more. The attackers do not always escape unscathed; many have been found with quills lodged in head, neck and chest. These quills rarely cause any real problems; the lack of infection may result from a mild antibiotic found in the quills.
Mixed forests with a wide variety of tree species makes good fisher habitat. Although abundance of prey is important, they require large areas of continuous overhead cover and suitable denning sites such as hollow trees. Hollow logs, brush piles or rock piles also serve as temporary shelters and resting places.
Fishers are normally solitary, each occupying a home range of around 20 km2 (8 mi 2) for males and 10 km 2 (4 mi 2) for females. Although territories between the sexes may overlap, apparently only one animal occupies each territory.
Female fishers first breed at 1 year, but because of delayed implantation do not produce their first litters until they are 2. Breeding normally takes place in late March or April, soon after the birth of the current year's litter. From 1-6 (typically 3) kits are born, usually in a cavity with a small opening high in a large tree.
The young are born blind and helpless but by 8 weeks of age they are mobile enough to be moved to a ground den. Though they may begin eating solid food after 9 weeks, nursing continues for 16 weeks. The young will remain with the female until late summer or early fall, when the family unit breaks up. The male takes no part in caring for the young.
Seldom seen by humans - even when their numbers are high - fishers are relatively easy to trap because they are quite curious and readily come to bait. It is this vulnerability, combined with habitat loss, that has resulted in past population reduction.
Fishers have been valuable furbearers during the entire history of the fur trade in North America. At times the fur has commanded extremely high prices. An Ontario trapper reported that during the 1920s one good fisher pelt could buy enough food to do 3 men for the entire trapping season.
When the fisher became scarce, trappers were willing to go to extremes to obtain one. One method, called "walking down a fisher", could involve a chase of several days.
Today Nova Scotia has a fairly stable, though low, population of this secretive animal. It exists primarily in the eastern mainland area, centered in Cumberland, Colchester and Pictou counties. Another smaller population is centered in the interior of western Nova Scotia. Our best guess is that there are approximately 150 fishers in Nova Scotia and that the numbers have remained relatively constant over the past 12 years. Harvest levels under the previous bag limit (one per license) may be limiting further growth. As a result, last year (1988) fishers were completely protected.
It is our goal to increase the fisher population to a level where they will remain a part of our natural heritage, providing enjoyment for present and future generations of Nova Scotians, and some income to trappers.