OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Some 40 to 45 fishers will be released beginning next week in the third and final year of reintroduction of the species to the North Olympic Peninsula.
The fishers, about the size of cats and from British Columbia, will be released at remote sites within Olympic National Park, said Barb Maynes, park spokeswoman.
Fishers are members of the weasel family, related to minks, otters and martens. Native to the forests of Washington state, including the Peninsula, over-trapping and habitat loss in the late 1800s and early 1900s led to their extinction in the state.
The park began reintroducing fishers in December 2007.
Each released animal carries a small radio transmitter to allow biologists to track and monitor its movements.
Of the 49 fishers released during the last two winters, biologists continue to monitor 22.
What’s happened?
Fifteen animals are known to have died, while four more are presumed dead. Two animals’ radio signals have failed, and, despite extensive searching, the whereabouts of six fishers are unknown.
Some of the 22 fishers released in 2007 and 2008 have borne young. Last summer, biologists found three fisher birthing dens containing a total of at least seven kits, Maynes said.
“Other females may also have had young, but locating and verifying fisher dens is extremely difficult and time-consuming in the Olympic wilderness,” she said.
The goal of the three-year project was to release about 100 fishers to establish a self-sustaining population. By the end of this winter, 94 will have been released into the park.
“With this new group of fishers, we’re getting closer to reaching our target of releasing 100 on the Peninsula,” said Dave Brittell, assistant director of the wildlife program for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“It’s great to watch these animals blend back into the forests of the Olympic Peninsula, and we appreciate collaborating with a great group of people from a number of organizations to accomplish this work.”
Fishers were listed as a state-endangered species in 1998 by the state Fish and Wildlife Commission and were designated as a candidate for federal listing in 2004 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act.
Fisher reintroduction to the park is done through a partnership of agencies and organizations.
Olympic National Park Superintendent Karen Gustin said that, in particular, Conservation Northwest, the Doris Duke Foundation and the Wildlife Conservation Society “are providing crucial support for this final year of fisher releases.”
The park and Fish and Wildlife are joint project managers and, along with the U.S. Geological Survey, are leading a research and monitoring program to evaluate the success of the reintroduction.
The British Columbia Ministry of Environment supports the capture and import of fishers to Washington state. Conservation Northwest, a nonprofit, provides financial and administrative support for the project’s operations in British Columbia and coordinates volunteers who track fisher activity through remote camera stations.
Washington’s National Park Fund provides financial support for monitoring the reintroduced fisher population.
Other partners and organizations are providing financial or logistical support for management and research tasks.
“With this release, the park’s new fisher population grows increasingly secure,” said Dave Werntz, conservation director at Conservation Northwest.
“It shows the amazing things we can accomplish when we work in common cause with state and federal partners.”
More information — including monthly monitoring updates — is available online at http://tinyurl.com/ya5kafl.
