In this video produced by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Natural Resources Science doctoral student Laken Ganoe talks about a three-year project to capture and track fishers throughout western Rhode Island to better understand their population numbers and movement.

Fisher cats were extirpated from Rhode Island in the 18th and 19th centuries, but are now making a comeback and expanding their range in the state. Ganoe explains the importance of fishers importance to the Rhode Island ecosystem.

The project is funded through a grant by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. Ganoe works with Assistant Professor, Brian Gerber, who heads the Applied Quantitative Ecology Lab. Ganoe collects data from cameras set up across Providence, Kent, and Washington counties. The team also place tracking collars on the animals to monitor their movement and activity.