Dear Editor,
I am a conservation biologist with a specific interest in wildlife. Last April, I wrote and submitted a paper to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife board (FWB) summarizing the results from numerous studies across the U.S. and Canada indicating that anticoagulant rodenticide (AR) threatens fisher populations. Vermont had the highest exposure rate among all the states studied, with 100% of animals sampled testing positive for multiple AR compounds. Based on this clear existential threat to fisher populations, I presented a petition in December to the FWB asking them to establish a moratorium on fisher trapping in Vermont, the one cause of fisher decline that can be easily removed.
Fishers are reclusive, territorial forest dwellers. Generally solitary and wary of humans, they eat whatever food is available, including small- to medium-sized mammals, birds, fruits, nuts, berries, reptiles, and amphibians. They are one of the few animals that prey on porcupines.
Fishers were common in Vermont until the early 20th Century when their numbers declined sharply due to over-trapping and habitat loss. This resulted in an explosion of the porcupine population and associated damage to trees and forests. In the 1960s, fishers were reintroduced into Vermont from Maine to control porcupines, and the fisher population gradually recovered. Eventually, recreational trapping was resumed.
Fishers are once again in danger. Populations are declining due to a complex combination of threats, including habitat loss and fragmentation, trapping, and the uncontrolled use of rodenticides. Because they are susceptible to human-caused environmental disturbances, biologists now recognize fishers as important indicators of ecosystem health.
ARs are commonly used to kill rodents. They prevent blood from clotting and causing fatal internal hemorrhaging. Any wound, however minor, can be fatal. It should be evident that these toxins could threaten all predators.
The Environmental Protection Agency attempts to regulate AR usage, but these toxins are ubiquitous. The black plastic boxes of AR poison are found outside grocery stores, feed stores, farm buildings, etc. Unlawful use is a serious problem. The FWB chose to deny my petition. It will continue to allow trappers to kill fishers as recreation and to profit from their pelts. It is disappointing that the agency, whose mission is to conserve fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the people of Vermont, would jeopardize the survival of a species like the fisher simply to protect a recreational and commercial pastime that defies current science and is practiced by only a minority.
Jennifer Lovett, Starksboro
