Idaho Fish and Game Releases 11 Fishers Into Coeur d'Alene Mountains

Eleven fishers, seven males and four females, now occupy Unit 4 of the Coeur d'Alene Mountains after Idaho Fish and Game and three partner organizations completed the Panhandle Region's first fisher translocation on April 1.

IDFG led the project alongside the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Idaho Trappers Association. Members of the Trappers Association began live-capturing animals in the Clearwater Region in early November and continued through mid-December. The fishers were transported to a temporary holding facility, housed, fed and monitored, then fitted with satellite GPS collars before the April 1 release.

The geographic rationale for Unit 4 is straightforward. A viable fisher population in the Coeur d'Alene Mountains would connect two otherwise isolated groups: the Cabinet Mountains population to the north and the larger St. Joe-Clearwater-Nez Perce population to the south. Without a working link in between, a local collapse in either group could permanently sever that corridor.

Fishers are members of the weasel family, related to marten and wolverine, and historically occupied Panhandle terrain before the local population shrank to isolated pockets. IDFG and its partners plan to move approximately 30 fishers into the region over one to two additional years. GPS collar data from the current 11 animals will map movement patterns, rest sites and denning locations, with the results used to shape forest management strategies for fishers and other wildlife across the Coeur d'Alene Mountains.

Unit 4 is already an active management zone. IDFG removed three wolves from it in February following concerns about elk numbers. Fisher restoration adds another dimension: as the population grows and dens are identified, the tracking data may inform future trapping regulations or designated closure areas near active denning sites. As carnivores and small-game predators, fishers will be a variable hunters and trappers working this terrain watch closely.

The Idaho Trappers Association's role stands out. Its members did the hands-on work of live-trapping and transporting the animals from the Clearwater Region, placing the trapping community at the center of a predator restoration effort rather than apart from it.

WHAT TO KNOW

If you spot a fisher in the Coeur d'Alene Mountains, submit your observation to IDFG through its Survey123 wildlife observation form on the IDFG website. Fishers are carnivores that primarily prey on squirrels, snowshoe hares and porcupines; for specific concerns about small pets or livestock in areas adjacent to fisher habitat, call the IDFG Panhandle Regional Office at (208) 769-1414. The office is at 2885 W. Kathleen Avenue in Coeur d'Alene, open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time.