Premium
Fisher Survival in Eastern Ontario
Author(s) -
KOEN ERIN L.,
BOWMAN JEFF,
FINDLAY C. SCOTT
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the journal of wildlife management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1937-2817
pISSN - 0022-541X
DOI - 10.2193/2006-064
Subject(s) - demography , population , mortality rate , nuisance , mark and recapture , geography , biology , ecology , sociology
Fishers ( Martes pennanti ) have recolonized eastern Ontario, Canada, but little is known about the survival of this harvested population. We estimated fisher survival and cause‐specific mortality in Leeds and Grenville County, Ontario, from 2003–2005. The overall 2‐year survival rate (95% CI) was 0.35 (0.21‐0.56, n = 59). We attributed observed mortality rates mainly to natural causes (28.6%) and nuisance trapping (21.4%). Given reported recruitment rates, our estimated fisher mortality has likely led to population declines in the study area, especially during 2003. Thus, we do not recommend an increase in fisher harvest quotas in the study area at this time.