FWS Petitioned For ESA Protection For Northern Rockies Fisher - Oregonian

[hatrack]

HELENA, Mont. -- The Northern Rockies fisher, a member of the weasel family, is in serious decline and warrants protection under the federal Endangered Species Act, four groups say in a petition sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday. The West Coast fisher, which lives in Washington, Oregon and California, also is in decline. Federal officials say it warrants protection, but declined to give it official sanction in 2004 because of other wildlife priorities.

In the Northern Rockies the fisher is known to exist only in Montana and Idaho but may also be present in Wyoming, where the animal existed historically, said Defenders of Wildlife, one of the groups. Populations have been hurt by logging in fisher habitat and by the trapping of up to seven fishers a year in Montana, petition author David Gaillard said from the Defenders office in Bozeman.

John Graham, a Montana Trappers Association vice president, responded that trapping seasons and quotas are based on research by Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologists, and the agency would not allow trapping "if they didn't think we had a population that would sustain the harvest."

The West Coast fisher is the same as the Northern Rockies fisher _ growing to about 40 inches and 18 pounds _ but geographically distinct. The fisher, like the pine marten, is comfortable in forest tree tops. It is one of the few animals known to kill and eat porcupine.

EDIT

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/02/groups_want_fisher_protected_b.html

[kestrel91316]

1. I saw either a pine marten or fisher years ago in N CO, I was driving along a

dirt road in some pine slash where logging had recently been done, and he was trotting/loping alongside the road.

My first though was black footed ferret, but then I realized it had to be one of those other weaselly things.

[Roadless]

2. Montana also allows for wolverine trapping which is ridiculous.

This isn't 1880 anymore. There are too many people(especially with pets) the horror stories of pets and other non-targeted wildlife losing limbs and life in traps are legion.