Fishers reintroduced at Mount Rainier National Park

State and federal biologists released 10 fishers December 2 in the Nisqually River watershed of Mount Rainier National Park as part of a collaborative effort to restore the species to Washington.

Fishers, a housecat-sized member of the weasel family, were eliminated from Washington by the mid-1900s through over-trapping and habitat loss. They have been listed as a state-endangered species since 1998.

The four female and six male fishers released were captured in British Columbia as part of a multi-year project to reintroduce 80 fishers to the southern Cascades. They underwent veterinary checkups and were equipped with a radio transmitter to allow biologists to track the animal's movements.

The reintroduction was made possible by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), the National Park Service, Conservation Northwest and other partners. Last year these partners released 23 fishers, 11 females and 12 males, in the southern Cascades on Gifford Pinchot National Forest.