An animal that vanished from the Buckeye State nearly 200 years ago is making a comeback, and one found as roadkill near Kent in Northeast Ohio last year was the largest "collected in Ohio to date," according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
The fisher, a mammal related to river otters and weasels, was discovered as roadkill in Franklin Township near Kent State University in April 2024, the Beacon Journal reported previously.
How big was the fisher found in Kent, Ohio? Rare animal making Ohio comeback
Fishers are pushing their way back into the state from Pennsylvania, and the 2024 discovery is likely the farthest west one has been found in Ohio, Laurie Brown, wildlife research technician with ODNR's Division of Wildlife, said at the time.
The animal was collected and sent to Columbus for study. In an Aug. 15, 2025, email, Brian Plasters, Division of Wildlife communications manager, said the necropsy showed the animal was a male that weighed 13 pounds.
"It was the biggest fisher we’ve collected in Ohio to date. We didn’t glean much more than that. If it was a female we might have more to report," he said in the email.
Fishers in Ohio: A pregnant fisher, the animal, was discovered in Ohio. Here's why that has biologists excited
What is a fisher, sometimes incorrectly called a fisher cat?
Despite frequently being called a "fisher cat," fishers are not cats, and they don't catch fish. They are forest-dwelling carnivorous members of the weasel family.
They mostly live in southern Canada, New England and New York, but they can be found in scattered locations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia.
Fishers have a weasel-like body, bushy tail, tapered muzzle, and low, rounded ears. Adults grow to a length of 20 to 25 inches, excluding the 13 to 16.5-inch tail, and can weigh between 3 and 15 pounds. Males are larger and heavier than females.
They hunt rodents and other animals, both in the trees and on the ground. Their diet also includes fruits and nuts.
Just askin': So, you trapped a live raccoon on your property in Ohio. Now what?
ODNR Division of Wildlife studying fishers in Ohio
The ODNR Division of Wildlife collects roadkill fishers found in Ohio to determine age and test genetics.
According to Brown, fishers found as roadkill are sent to Columbus, where a wildlife biologist will examine the animal's general health, possibly look at stomach contents to study its diet and, if female, check to see if the animal was pregnant or breeding.
Fishers disappeared from Ohio by the mid-1800s, as settlers cleared their habitat and hunted them to near-extinction, according to Farm and Dairy.
Since then, there have been 40 confirmed fisher sightings across nine northeast Ohio counties (Ashtabula, Columbiana, Geauga, Trumbull, Mahoning, Lake, Jefferson, Harrison, and Tuscarawas), according to ODNR.
Two-thirds of those — about 26 sightings — happened in the past three years. They are moving westward from established populations in Pennsylvania and naturally colonizing Ohio.
Black bears in Ohio: Sightings up as state studies bear population growth. How to stay safe
Most of the reports of fishers in Ohio come from Ashtabula County, Brown said, and some from Trumbull. In 2023, there were reports out of Geauga County.
"I think it’s great that we're starting to see them more and more and get more reports of them in Ohio,” she said.
Both Pennsylvania and West Virginia conducted a reintroduction program for fishers, Brown said, and that population is starting to expand to Ohio. The programs in both states were so successful, both now offer a fisher trapping season.
Lake Erie jellyfish? Rare non-native freshwater species spotted. Here's where
Fisher vs. mink. What animals are in the same family?
Fishers are a mustelid (family Mustelidae), which includes about 55 species of ferrets, polecats, badgers, martens, otters and weasels, among others, according to Britannica.
They are often confused with their cousin, the mink, according to the U.S. Forestry Service. But minks are smaller, measuring 12 to 16 inches head to tail and weighing 1 to 2.25 pounds. Minks have a small, white patch on their chins and/or throats/chests, and have shorter, less bushy tails.
How to report a fisher sighting in Ohio
The Division of Wildlife relies, in part, on public reports to monitor Ohio’s growing fisher population, as well as black bears, badgers, weasels and bobcats. Report observations, including photos or videos, to the Division of Wildlife via the HuntFish OH mobile app or at wildohio.gov.
Contact your county wildlife officer to report roadkill fishers. It is not permitted to collect roadkill carcasses.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Fisher in Kent biggest found in Ohio. Weight, more on rare animal
Comments