History of Fishers in New Jersey
- 1600's
- The Kittatinny Ridge remains largely unexplored and unsettled by Europeans. Native American populations decline as a result of disease epidemics introduced by European settlers.
- 1675
- The first wildlife regulation in New Jersey provides for a bounty of 15 shillings for each grown wolf killed. Unlike the West (Colorado, Wyoming, etc.) bounties were successful in eliminating predators in the East.
- 1700's
- Wildlife, such as bears, wolves, bobcats, fishers, mountain lions, beaver, and turkey, becomes increasingly scarce.
- 1844
- See Below for Acknowledgements
- 1850's
- The Kittatinny ridgetop is heavily logged for timber and charcoal. Settlers use the cleared mountain forests to pasture their cattle.
- 1868
- The earliest record of fishers in New Jersey comes from the NJ State Geologist, Dr. Charles Abbott, who indicated that "about the mountains in the northern counties a few are still living, but in no appreciable numbers" (Rhoads 1903).
- 1889
- Another NJ State Geologist proposed that "a few [fishers] persisted in the northern part of the state" (Nelson 1889).
- 1903
- The last published report of fishers is from wildlife expert, Samuel Rhoads who expounded that "while I have discovered no other record of this animal in NJ, either historical or otherwise than the one given by Dr. Abbott, it undoubtedly occurred in former days in the northern sections of the state. Never numerous like the marten; it has now become almost extinct. A few remain in the higher mountains" (Rhoads 1903).
- 1907
- Only one subsequent mention of fishers could be found postulating that the "fisher (M. pennanti) no doubt formerly occurred in the mountainous parts of northwestern New Jersey, but there seems to be no definite record of the fact" (Stone 1907).
- 1978
- Aberrant fisher captured in Hampton, NJ and relocated back to the Catskill Mountains (Brown and Parsons 1983).
- 2006
- The presence of Martes pennanti (Fisher) was verified in Sussex County, New Jersey on October 5, 2006 at 9:11 pm via remote camera (Kontos 2007).
- 2007
- Fisher tracks are located and followed in and around Stokes State Forest. Several scat samples are collected and analyzed at US Forest Service Conservation Genetics Laboratory for DNA species identification (awaiting results).
Fisher collected near Harrisburg, PA in 1844. Painted by J.J. Audubon
