Announcing Exciting Wildlife News for our Watershed
We are thrilled to share that over the past few years our staff have either spotted or received reports of four species in the Credit River Watershed that had no previously confirmed records of presence or breeding. The species we believe are making a comeback are: fisher, river otter, bald eagle and Atlantic salmon.
This is the first in our four-part wildlife spotlight series where we’ll introduce each species so you can learn more about them and their roles within the watershed ecosystem. This week, we’re highlighting the fisher.
Species Spotlight: Fishers
The fisher (Pekania pennanti) is a member of the weasel or mustelid family. They are often mistaken for their more common family counterparts spotted across the watershed, the American mink (Neovison vison), short-tailed weasel (Mustela erminea) and more recently, river otter (Lontra canadensis).
Fishers have a long, thin, weasel-like body, bushy tail, pointed face and small, rounded ears.
Adults can range from 50 to 63 centimetres long excluding their tails, that can add another 30 to 42 centimetres. They can weigh anywhere between 2.7 to 5.4 kilograms, with males being heavier. Females are also known for their finer and more luscious fur coats.
Where They Roam
The secretive and solitary hunting nature of fishers makes them difficult to see. They are most active at dawn, dusk and night during the summer and more active during the day in winter to hunt. Fishers avoid people and large animals, making them difficult to spot. They prefer forested areas and use forest edges, avoiding open habitats.
What They Eat
Despite their name, fish are not a typical food fishers eat.
Fishers prey on birds and small mammals, including rabbits, hares, rodents, squirrels and even porcupines.
Fun fact: Fishers are known for their ability to hunt. They even hunt porcupines! Despite a porcupine’s impressive defensives, a fisher will pursue it into a tree, climb above it and then attack. Using its retractable claws, the fisher can descend trees headfirst, allowing it to sneak up on porcupines and attack their only undefended area, the face.
Fishers also feast on reptiles, carrion or fruits too. They are year-round hunters, active throughout winter. They hunt their prey both on the ground and in trees, making use of vegetation as cover.
Their diets help control other animal populations and makes them an integral part of native wildlife.
Reproducing Populations
Fishers only break their elusive and solitary habits for reproduction. March and April are breeding season, when males try to mate with as many females as possible, a common evolutionary technique to ensure species’ survival.
Females have a 350-day gestation period because of a natural delay in the implantation of the fertilized egg. They give birth to litters of one to five babies, called kits.
Mothers typically den in deciduous tree holes to safely raise their young, highlighting the need for forested habitats.
Fishers in the Credit River Watershed
Reasons for Decline
We believe the decline in fishers across our watershed is because of the loss and degradation of forest habitats. In the past, they were also known to be hunted and trapped for their valuable brownish black fur.
Though the International Union for Conservation of Nature considers the fisher to be a species of least concern and their population estimates suggest that over 100,000 fishers remain in North America, we are happy to see them coming back into the watershed.
Recent Sightings
We have received reports dating back to 2019 near Erin, Acton and Caledon. The first report was a fisher outside of Erin. Trail camera footage from 2023 revealed a single fisher close to Terra Cotta Conservation Area and then our staff witnessed another fisher outside of Acton just last year. Check out this trail camera footage of a fisher making its way through the watershed.
Working to Ensure Their Future
Though we are not monitoring fishers specifically, through our Integrated Watershed Monitoring Program we regularly assess forest health, providing the opportunity to find signs of them when we are completing our fieldwork.
We are optimistic that with our restoration work, we will continue to see an increase in their presence and future population growth.
Some of our efforts include:
- Implementing and researching projects to better wildlife cross-landscape movement.
- Acquisition of properties with existing or developing forests.
- Planting trees on public and private property increasing forest habitats.
- Development of a natural heritage system with support from our municipalities that helps to protect and connect wildlife habitats.
Discover Our Work in the Watershed
We study changes to the environment in the Credit River Watershed through our Integrated Watershed Monitoring Program. Explore stories from our data through interactive StoryMaps.
We welcome and encourage observations of animals and plants in the Credit River Watershed. Submit photo observations to iNaturalist, or if you feel that the observation should be called to the attention of a CVC staff member, please connect with us.
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