Re: “Maine Observer: Fisher cat a fact of life in Maine woods” (Aug. 9):

You would do well to check your “fisher cat” facts before you publish! To start with, the fisher is not a cat. It’s in the family mustelidae, along with martens, weasels and otters.

And contrary to author Charles Thompson’s guess of 40 pounds for the fisher he saw, the record weight for a fisher in Maine is half that, with most males reaching a maximum weight of 12 pounds, females about 6 pounds.

As for the “screaming voices” and “blood-curling sounds” Thompson attributed to a fisher, the scientific literature describes fisher noises as mere hisses or low throaty sounds. Speculating here, but the noises he heard may well have been an argument between two raccoons or porcupines.

Thompson is right about one thing: Fishers are the most effective predator for controlling porcupine populations.

And while Thompson doesn’t welcome the fisher in his woods, states where the fisher had been extirpated have gone to great lengths to bring the fisher back – including Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Connecticut, all of which “stocked” fishers live-trapped in Maine’s neighbor, New Hampshire.

H. Meade Cadot

executive director emeritus,

Harris Center for Conservation Education

Hancock, N.H.

Andrew A. Cadot

former president, Maine Audubon

Portland

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