Albany

The fisher, an elusive, fierce and predatory weasel that is one of few creatures willing to take on a porcupine's sharp quills, would get added protection in the Adirondacks under a first-ever proposal released this week by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Fisher numbers have been declining there over the last decade after years on the increase. State plans call for reducing the trapping season for the animals from 46 days to 22, DEC wildlife biologist Mike Schiavone said Friday. Reasons behind the decline remain unknown, and further study will be needed, he said.

Elsewhere, fisher populations in the Catskills, Southern Tier, Tug Hill Plateau and central New York appear to be on the upswing, he said, so a new, nine-day trapping season could be added to the central region. Trapping rules would be unchanged elsewhere.

"A lot more people are seeing fishers, and that is a good sign, as the animals are inconspicuous by nature. They are great creatures to get a glimpse of in the woods," said Schiavone. DEC is taking public comments on the plan through March 21.

Fishers used to be a much rarer sight in state forests. Due to trapping and loss of forest to logging, farming and other development, the animals were uncommon by the early 20th century and remained only in remote parts of the Adirondacks.

Numbers rebounded in the 1950s after trapping limits and recovery of forest with tree cover, particularly evergreens. Fishers remained present primarily in the Adirondacks when the state took animals from there for reintroduction into the Catskills in the 1970s.

Fishers, also known as fisher cats, likely due to their sleek, quick movements, which can appear catlike. The animals are efficient climbers and can hunt in treetops. Wide, five-toed paws with semi-retractable claws help them walk on snow, as well as climb trees and grasp prey like rabbits, squirrels, mice, birds and even porcupines.

"Fishers are pretty fearless," Schiavone said.

They are quick enough to spin a defending porcupine around in circles, eventually wounding its face and weakening it to the point where the exhausted, bloodied porcupine can be flipped onto its back, exposing its soft underbelly, and dispatched, its quills no longer a threat.

Exclusive to North America, the fisher is found from coast to coast, and in the East resides from Virginia to Quebec. With dark brown to black fur, short legs, and a muscular body, the carnivores have a well-furred tail that can equal a third of their total body length.

An adult male can weigh 7 to 13 pounds, with females between 3 and 7 pounds. Other predators like pine marten, bobcat, coyote, red fox and grey fox and some raptors compete with fishers for prey, but fishers have few natural enemies, other than humans.

"Usually other larger predators like coyotes and bobcats try to find an easier meal," Schiavone said.

Fisher pelts used to command a hefty price, and Adirondack lore recounts hunters tracking a fisher for days on end. From 2002 to 2011, trappers took more than 22,000 fishers for pelts, which fetch between $100 and $150, although prices have been lower in recent years. Trapping is legal, but hunting is not.

Fishers are wary of humans and seek to avoid contact, so cases of attacks on human are extremely rare. In 2007, a rabid fisher bit a Glenville woman as she was taking garbage into her garage. There were only three confirmed cases of rabies in fishers from 2002 to 2011, DEC said.

To prepare their fisher plan, DEC worked with staff from he Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Cornell University to conduct game camera surveys and hair collection stations at more than 600 sites during the winters of 2013 and 2014. Fishers were present at more than two-thirds of those locations.

Comments can be submitted to: NYSDEC Bureau of Wildlife, Fisher Management Plan, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4754; or to wildlife@dec.ny.gov by typing "Fisher Plan" in the subject line.

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