Sightings, track stations and camera traps confirm the presence of a small number of fisher (Martes pennanti pacifica) in Yosemite National Park during the early 1990?s. Fisher prefer lower montane forest, high canopy cover, and habitat near permanent streams. The current fisher population is apparently lower in number and more restricted in distribution than in pristine times prior to heavy trapping and logging in the Park early last century. Regular monitoring using digital camera traps and modern DNA techniques is recommended to determine population trend. Research is needed to determine vital rates and causes of mortality to understand the factor(s) limiting the expansion of this small population at the northern edge of its range.
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