Fishers Are Appearing Again in Northeast Ohio

While there are only a few dozen fishers around, it’s likely that they will continue to reproduce and once again have a home base in Ohio.

Part of the mustelidae family, these large weasels often live and travel alone. “Female fishers, though, will often establish den sites high in hollow trees when birthing and raising young,” explains Katie Dennison, a wildlife biologist for Ohio Division of Wildlife. 

RELATED: Northern Ohio’s Only Venomous Snake is a Focus of Conservation

These lesser-known cousins of otters are forest-dwelling carnivores that can swim, run and climb trees. Spotting a fisher in Ohio was a very big deal in 2013, considering the previous two known records of them living in the state were from 1838.

“It’s likely that the fisher was extirpated in Ohio in the mid-1800s. In addition to unregulated harvest, loss of habitat was a major cause of their local extinction when Ohio lost large portions of forest after European colonization,” says Dennison.

RELATED: Bald Eagles are a Symbol of Ohio’s Conservation Success

Luckily, recent fisher reintroduction programs in Pennsylvania and New York caused the animal to move westward into Ohio. “As of February 2024, there are 40 confirmed observations across nine Northeast Ohio counties, with two-thirds of those sightings happening in the last three years,” says Jon Cepek, a Cleveland Metroparks wildlife ecologist. 

RELATED: Ohio’s Black Bears Are On the Rise

RELATED: Meet our full list of more than 35 resilient and adorable critters from our September 2024 issue.

For more updates about Cleveland, sign up for our Cleveland Magazine Daily newsletter, delivered to your inbox six times a week.

Cleveland Magazine is also available in print, publishing 12 times a year with immersive features, helpful guides and beautiful photography and design.