News

Fisher Return Proposed in Olympic National Park
by Bruce Moorhead

A remarkable opportunity exits to restore a key predator to the old-growth forests of the Olympic Peninsula. In January, Olympic National Park and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced plans to reintroduce the fisher (Martes pennanti) to the Olympic Peninsula. Selected locations include lower and middle elevation forests of the Bogachiel, Hoh and Queets river drainages in Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest.

The fisher, a member of the weasel family, is a stocky, darkly furred animal about 30-40 inches in length with a long bushy tail. It is rarely seen by humans because it tends to be nocturnal, prefers dense forests, and seldom travels across open areas. Unlike the closely related river otter, it does not "fish" for a living but is an agile tree climber and preys on small to mid-sized mammals like squirrels, snowshoe hares, mountain beavers, wood rats and mice, as well as birds

(California Department of Fish and Game photo)

Home range estimates for fishers in the western U.S. (obtained by radio-tracking) are less than 10 square miles for females. Males roam over a larger area. Tree cavities and nests in living trees are often used as dens and rest sites, and fishers often hunt in tree canopies for squirrels and other prey.

Late in the 19th century, fishers occurred rather widely although not abundantly in the Pacific Northwest. At the turn of the last century, their fur pelts were exceeded in value only by the sea otter and sold for up to $150. Easily captured in traps, they were subject to overtrapping and soon disappeared from a number of U.S. states.

During the 20th century, the fisher population in Washington and other Northwest states declined steadily but quietly as mature forests were logged and fragmented. Despite the closure of trapping in 1934 in Washington the population has not recovered.

On the Olympic Peninsula, fishers were still rather common in some of the large west-side valleys during the first quarter of the 20th century. Interviews with early fur trappers by mammalogist Victor Scheffer in the 1930s indicated that 37 and 20 fishers were trapped, respectively, in the Queets and Quinault river valleys in the winters of 1920 and 1921. During this same period wolves were also actively trapped and poisoned by homesteaders here, which may have hastened the fisherıs decline.

Despite creation of Olympic National Park and its large wilderness area, by the end of the 20th century the fisher had essentially disappeared from Washington. The last confirmed record of a fisher is at Lilliwaup Swamp in 1969 along the eastern side of the Peninsula near the Hood Canal.

(photo by Mark Higley, Hoopa Tribal Forestry)

The current proposal to reintroduce fishers grew out of statewide attempts during the 1980s and Œ90s by the WDFW and federal agency scientists to assess the presence and status of the animal across Washington. Despite extensive survey efforts, less than four reliable sightings have been obtained in recent years and no incidental captures by trappers, suggesting rather clearly that fishers are very rare and may already have been extirpated in the state. Any animals that do remain, in any case, are no longer likely to be part of a viably reproducing population, and may soon become extinct unless attempts are made to reintroduce the animal.

These findings led Washington to declare the fisher an endangered species in 1998 (although it is not federally listed) and to begin planning for a recovery program. Reintroduction attempts in 15 other U.S. states and five Canadian provinces have generally been successful.

In order to design an effective reintroduction strategy in Washington, the WDFW has recently completed a Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis of suitable habitats and reintroduction locations throughout the state. The largest block of contiguous old-growth forest habitat in the state was found to be along the western side of Olympic National Park and adjoining forest reserves in Olympic National Forest.

The most promising habitats in the park have a high canopy closure, multiple canopies, varied shrubs, and a diverse prey base. Suitable fisher habitat also has large-diameter trees, large snags, tree cavities, and logs suitable for denning and rest sites. Fisher habitats are limited at higher elevations by wet heavy winter snow, which limits hunting success.

The proposal calls for releasing 60-100 animals over a period of years, along with intensive follow-up monitoring of their survival, movements, and reproduction after release. The prospect for success here is enhanced by the protection offered by the national park. The nearest available source populations of fishers with similar genetic characteristics are in British Columbia and western Alberta.

Altogether, this is a remarkable opportunity to bring back an important natural predator to the magnificent Olympic rain forests, and one of the most encouraging and hopeful prospects in the years ahead for the park. Like the Elwha River salmon restoration, it will restore a vital component in the natural processes of the Pacific Northwest ecosystem and further enrich its prospects and future benefits for us all in years ahead.

Bruce Moorhead is an OPA trustee and retired wildlife biologist in Olympic National Park.