An elusive member of the weasel family known as fishers have continued their gradual return to Ohio, with one confirmed sighting near Cleveland for the first time in nearly two centuries.
A trail camera captured footage of a fisher earlier this year inside Cleveland Metroparks, marking the species’ first confirmed appearance in Cuyahoga County since the 1800s, park officials said.Â
The animal was identified by Andy Burmesch, the park system’s wildlife management coordinator.
Cleveland Metroparks announced the sighting in December 13 Instagram post that included video and photographs of the animal moving through a wooded area. The post drew tens of thousands of likes and hundreds of comments.
‘This is tremendously exciting, as this is yet another extirpated native Ohio mammal species to be documented for the first time in Cleveland Metroparks,’ the parks system said in the Instagram post.Â
‘The return of fishers and other extirpated species like otters, bobcats and trumpeter swans are a result of conservation efforts and emphasize the importance of our healthy forests, wetlands, waterways and natural areas.’Â
Despite being commonly referred to as ‘fisher cats,’ fishers are neither cats nor fish-eaters. They are forest-dwelling carnivores in the weasel family, closely related to martens, mink and otters.
Fishers are primarily found in southern Canada, New England and New York, with smaller, expanding populations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia.
The first fisher in 100 years was captured on a trail camera in Ohio
A fisher in a pine tree
Adult fishers typically measure 20 to 25 inches in body length, not including tails that can extend up to 16.5 inches and weigh between three and 15 pounds.
They’re also characterized by their long bodies, bushy tails, tapered faced, and rounded ears.
Their diet consists mainly of rodents and other small animals, though they also eat fruit and nuts.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has confirmed more than 40 fisher sightings across several northeast Ohio counties, including Ashtabula, Geauga, Portage and Lake. About two-thirds of those sightings occurred within the past three years.
Wildlife officials said Ohio’s growing population is likely linked to successful reintroduction programs in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Those efforts allowed fishers to reestablish breeding populations, which have since expanded westward into Ohio. Both states now manage regulated trapping seasons.
Evidence suggests the animals are not simply passing through. A fisher found dead along a roadway in Ashtabula County in 2023 was later confirmed to have been pregnant, according to ODNR.
Fisher are forest-dwelling carnivores in the weasel family, closely related to martens, mink and otters
Another fisher struck by a vehicle near Kent in Portage County in April 2024 marked the westernmost confirmed sighting at the time and was the largest collected in Ohio, weighing 13 pounds.
Fishers belong to the mustelid family, which includes more than 50 species worldwide.Â
They are often mistaken for mink, though mink are significantly smaller and typically have a white patch on the chin or throat and a shorter tail.
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Predator that hasn’t been spotted in Midwest state for over 100 years is suddenly caught on wildlife camera