Are There Fisher Cats in Pennsylvania?
Fishers, members of the weasel family, are present in Pennsylvania. While often called ‘fisher cats,’ they are not felines. Their return to the state’s landscapes highlights conservation efforts and adaptability.
Fisher Presence and History in Pennsylvania
Fishers were once widespread across Pennsylvania’s forests but declined severely by the early 1900s. This was primarily due to extensive deforestation and unregulated trapping, which removed large tracts of their habitat. By the early 20th century, fishers were considered extirpated from the state.
Reintroduction efforts and natural expansion from neighboring states led to their return. The Pennsylvania Game Commission undertook a reintroduction project between 1994 and 1998, releasing 190 fishers across northern Pennsylvania. Populations expanding from West Virginia also contributed to their establishment in the southwest. Today, fishers are well-established and increasing in the southwestern, central, and northern regions of the state.
Identifying Fishers
Fishers are medium-sized carnivores, second only to river otters in the Pennsylvania weasel family. They have a long, slender body, short legs, and a bushy tail about one-third of their total length. Their fur is typically dark brown to black, often with a grizzled appearance from tricolored guard hairs.
White patches may appear on their chest or lower abdomen. Fishers have a triangular face, wide, rounded ears, and eyes with horizontal oval pupils that produce a green eyeshine at night. Males are noticeably larger than females, weighing 7 to 15 pounds and reaching 35 to 48 inches in total length, while females typically weigh 4 to 9 pounds and are 30 to 37 inches long. They have five toes on each paw with sharp, curved, semi-retractable claws. Fishers can be distinguished from martens by their larger size and darker fur, and from mink by their significantly greater size and lack of a white chin patch.
Fisher Behavior and Interaction
Fishers are solitary, interacting only during the breeding season. They are most active at dawn, dusk, and night, though sometimes seen during the day, especially in winter. These predators primarily inhabit large, contiguous forests with dense canopy cover and abundant woody debris, which provide both shelter and hunting grounds.
Their diet is diverse, including a variety of small mammals like squirrels, chipmunks, and mice, along with reptiles, insects, fruits, and fungi. They are known for preying on porcupines and will also scavenge, including on deer carcasses. Direct attacks on humans are rare, as fishers generally avoid human contact. To minimize conflicts, secure outdoor pet food and garbage, as fishers may prey on poultry or domestic cats if easily accessible.