The Ministry of Natural Resources responds…

Encounters with fishers rare: MNR Bruce Bell Local News – Thursday, August 02, 2007 @ 10:00 A senior fish and wildlife technician with the Ministry of Natural Resources says a Prince Edward County woman's encounter with a fisher was a rare occurrence. Eugene DeShane of the Kingston MNR office said although fishers are opportunistic feeders, under normal circumstances they avoid humans. “It's very strange behaviour for a fisher, especially at this time of year,” DeShane explained. “They are solitary animals and even though they are opportunistic when it comes to feeding, at this time of year up to 30 per cent of their diet is berries and there is also an abundance of squirrels, rabbits and mice to feed on. ” Kyla Jones is now undergoing a series of rabies shots after an altercation with a fisher while defending her two pug dogs at her North Marysburgh home. DeShane said it is a popular misconception the animals – which are related to wolverines, minks and weasels and can weigh as much as 20 pounds – were released in an effort to control a growing porcupine population. In fact, a tagging program showed they have been migrating into the Quinte region from the United States. “Five years ago you would hardly hear anything about fishers in this area and when the numbers started to increase, it was initially thought they were migrating down from the Canadian Shield,” he said. “We have since learned they are coming from the Adirondack region, along Lake Ontario into places like Prince Edward County.” While there is a limited quota on fishers for trappers, DeShane said not all regions are experiencing a population growth. “In some of the areas I cover, the numbers are actually decreasing,” he said. “Some of that can be attributed to trapping, but even with a good food supply, people living close to forested areas shouldn't let pets run free.”