Fishers are small carnivores and a member of the weasel family.
Like other carnivores, fishers play an important role in the maintenance of healthy ecosystems. They declined or became extinct in much of their range due to habitat loss and heavy trapping in the 18th century. Although fishers have rebounded in some areas, reintroduction efforts are critical in re-establishing the fisher to former portions of its range. To date they have been reintroduced in West Virginia, New York, Idaho and Montana. Approximately 40 fishers will be released in Tennessee during this two-year project.