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For Immediate Release
Defenders Hails Return of Fishers to Tennessee
CROSSVILLE, Tenn. -- With help from Defenders of Wildlife, 10 more fishers are back in the wilds of Tennessee, 200 years after they were eliminated here by trapping and logging.
The 10 fishers were freed yesterday in the 80,000-acre Catoosa Wildlife Management Area, joining 20 of the members of the weasel family that were released into the same area a year ago.
This reintroduction was the result of a collaboration between Defenders of Wildlife, the Tennessee-based Extirpated Species Foundation and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). Defenders provided the money to make the reintroduction possible.
The fishers -- including two males and eight females - were captured this week in the Chequamegon National Forest of northern Wisconsin and surrounding state lands and then taken by plane to Tennessee. The Catoosa Wildlife Management Area was chosen as the reintroduction site because its large, undisturbed expanses of forest habitat provide the preferred habitat of this small member of the weasel family.
Nina Fascione, vice president of species conservation for Defenders of Wildlife, and Caroline Kennedy, Defenders' director of special projects, helped capture and process the fishers in Wisconsin.
"The mountains of East Tennessee are a little bit more natural than they used to be, now that fishers have returned here," Fascione said. "This project demonstrates that when the private sector and state agencies work together, great things can be accomplished."
Kennedy added, "These fishers should create a healthier ecosystem in these mountains. They feed on snakes, rats and skunks - each of which prey heavily on ground nesting birds. By keeping these species in check, we expect that over time the presence of fishers will lead to a more balanced system and will have positive affects such as increased populations of turkey, grouse and quail."
Each female fisher was fitted with a radio collar that will allow the TWRA to track the animal's movements. Biologists hope that each of the females released in Tennessee had mated and will give birth to young next spring, which would help increase the population naturally. The young, typically in litters of one to four kits, remain with the mother until the fall. The population will be closely monitored for the next several years.
The fisher's long, slim bodies and short legs make them very swift and agile as well as excellent climbers. They are aggressive hunters, preying on a variety of animals including snowshoe hares, rabbits, squirrels, mice, shrews, and birds. They will also consume carrion, insects, nuts and berries. Despite their name, they do not hunt fish.
Defenders is grateful to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, which granted the permit to capture animals within their state and provided a variety of in-kind services, and to the Great Lakes Indian Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, which provided invaluable technical support in making this reintroduction a success.
Special thanks go to the trappers, who are members of the Ojibwe Indian tribe and Red Cliff Reservation and whose expertise allowed for the efficient and humane trapping of the fishers.
Editors: Pictures of the fishers are available on request.
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Defenders of Wildlife is a leading non-profit conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. With more than 430,000 members and supporters - 100,000 of whom are in California - Defenders of Wildlife is an effective leader on endangered species issues. To stay current on hot topics in wildlife conservation, please visit www.defenders.org.
