Idaho Fish and Game has completed the first year of a relocation project aimed at bolstering fisher populations in the northern part of the state, moving the weasel-family carnivores from the Clearwater Region to the Panhandle Region.
The effort was carried out in partnership with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Idaho Trappers Association. The Coeur d’Alene Mountains currently support only a small, isolated fisher population, and wildlife managers say the project is designed to increase those numbers and improve connectivity between fisher groups in the Cabinet Mountains to the north and the St. Joe-Clearwater-Nez Perce population to the south.
Trappers began live-trapping in early November and continued through mid-December. Captured animals were transported to a temporary holding facility where they were housed, fed, and monitored before being fitted with satellite GPS collars and released. Biological samples were also collected during processing.
Eleven fishers were released into Unit 4 of the Coeur d’Alene Mountains, seven males and four females. Managers plan to continue the project for one or two additional years with a goal of relocating up to 30 animals total.
Data collected from the GPS collars will be used to track movement patterns and identify resting and denning sites. That information will inform future forest management strategies, as fishers depend heavily on mature forests with large trees and snags for shelter and reproduction.
Participating trappers received reimbursement through an Idaho Fish and Game Commission Community Challenge Grant and contributions from several regional and national trapping organizations.
