Population decline in the fisher population in the North Country and fluctuations elsewhere in the state are being addressed in a plan by the state Department of Environmental Conservation for different regions.

The plan also offers trappers of the member of the weasel family an additional hunting season.

DEC biologists developed the plan with input from trapping enthusiasts to manage population declines of fishers in northern New York and population increases in central and western New York. The plan reduces the trapping season in the north by 16 days while establishing a new six-day season in the central and western parts of the state.

“The expansion of fishers in New York is a conservation success story and a testament to the importance of DEC’s efforts to protect forest habitat and conserve wildlife populations,” said

DEC Acting Commissioner Basil Seggos says the expansion of fishers in the state is a success story, and the new plan builds on that.

“The final Fisher Management Plan incorporates the feedback from fisher enthusiasts. The proposed changes to promote the animal’s sustainable management in the Adirondacks and central/western New York will ensure that fishers continue to thrive and future generations will continue to enjoy this fascinating species.”

The plan advances two goals: to maintain or enhance fisher populations in all areas of the state where suitable habitat exists, and to provide for the sustainable use and enjoyment of fishers by both trappers and the general public.

Fishers can weigh between 3 and 13 pounds. Their diets range from small and medium-sized mammals and birds to acorns, apples and berries. They are also one of the few known predators of porcupines, having been known to consume the entire animal, leaving nothing but a quilled hide and a few bones.

Their numbers declined severely during the late 1800s and early 1900s due to over-trapping and loss of forest habitat due to logging and the clearing of land for farms. Restoration programs, re-forestation, and the regulation of trapping have allowed fishers to become better established. People have enjoyed sustainable harvest opportunities for this species since the 1950s in northern New York and since the 1980s in southeastern New York, DEC says.

Many New Yorkers enjoy observing these predators in their natural habitats across the state. Over the past 20 years, populations have expanded into central and western New York, and sightings in these regions are now common.

The plan proposes the adjustments to current fisher trapping regulations to begin in the fall.

In the North Country, it will reduce the fisher trapping season from 46 days to 30 days in select Wildlife Management Units (WMUs), with a season start date of Nov. 1 to address population declines in the area.

The changes will be last for three years to see if more changes are needed.

The plan, and an Assessment of Public Comment is available on the DEC website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/9357.html.

Proposed regulations to implement the plan will soon be released for public comment.