Study shows fishers are migrating, adapting to southeast Minnesota

After studying fishers in northern Minnesota for several years in the early 2000s, it was a surprise to DNR Research Scientist John Erb that he and his team observed them migrating south around a decade ago.

“I never really predicted the day that fishers would interact with opossums,” Erb said.
Upon further review, knowing fishers’ geographic footprint historically sprawled across the state, it seems obvious to him now that the species could once again reside outside the state’s northern forested zone. Because the dense, conifer-forested areas – where fishers reside in northern Minnesota – aren’t as robust in the south, it raised questions for scientists and ecologists.

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