American mink - update

The following are brief summaries of some of the action that we and our partners have done since the Species Action Framework was launched. They're in chronological order, with the most recent updates at the top of the page.

12 May 2011

The Scottish Mink Initiative

This new project, implemented over two and half years (April 2011 to September 2013), builds upon and expands the work of the three previous projects. It comprises a partnership between the Rivers & Fisheries Trusts of Scotland (RAFTS), SNH, University of Aberdeen and the Scottish Wildlife Trust and at least 16 other organisations. The partnership represents a broad range of stakeholders and relies on an expanding network of (currently) over 200 trained volunteers. The overall aim is the protection of nationally significant populations of water voles, salmonids, ground nesting birds and other native riparian biodiversity by establishing a sustainable management framework to create and maintain an extensive area free of breeding mink. This will be achieved by the realisation of the following objectives:

1.To eradicate breeding mink from an area extending from the mid-Tay to the South Esk, around the east coast to the River Nairn; with a belt reaching from Dornoch & Cromarty to Ullapool on the west, preventing mink encroachment to the far north.

2.To ensure the long term sustainability of mink control in the project areas through the coordinated and resourced transfer of responsibility for ongoing mink management to local organisations.

3.To raise awareness of the benefits of the community-based and adaptive management approach to invasive non-native species management.

The project retains a strong science input from the University of Aberdeen including input from an SNH part-funded PhD student working on the low density mink population on the west coast, close to the species' edge of range.

The emphasis is very much on expanding the existing volunteer network and developing a sense of 'ownership' amongst key local organisations such as the fisheries trusts. It may also form the basis of a wider INNS control effort beyond the current project.

McCormaig Isles Mink Project

Mink control on the McCormaig Isles and the surrounding mainland peninsulas has been ongoing for many years; more recently this has been facilitated through a SAF project which has looked specifically at trends in mink movement and trap success.  As the complete eradication of mink in this part of Mid Argyll is not feasible, we've looked instead at ways of making mink trapping in such remote areas as efficient and cost efficient as possible by seeking to find trap locations that are consistently successful. In doing so, we will be able to continue to trap incoming mink and protect the fragile seabird colonies that are found in this area.

Reisa Islands Mink Project

Through the SAF we've been able to set up a small mink control programme on the Reisa Islands off the Craignish Peninsula. These islands are not only home to a number of seabird colonies but also hold a unique population of water vole that exhibit unusual characteristics. They live fossorially, exploiting the roots of productive vegetation across a wide habitat range rather than concentrating on riparian areas as their mainland counterparts would. Our approach has been similar to that in the McCormaig Isles project with the ultimate aim of finding ways of consistently trapping mink to provide the best value of money.

4 December 2009

Three closely-related schemes are currently in operation to remove mink from much of NE Scotland, the Cairngorms and surrounding area (including the upper River Tay catchment and the Angus Glens) and the NW Highlands. These are all partnership projects involving a range of organisations including the University of Aberdeen, Scottish Natural Heritage, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Forestry Commission Scotland and eight local fisheries trusts. The intention is to integrate these projects into a single new project in 2010, thereby taking a more strategic approach to whole issue of mink control across the north of Scotland.

Mink removal has been undertaken using a community-based approach, whereby the monitoring and trapping of mink is largely carried out by members of the local community, who are coordinated and facilitated by five local project officers, overseen by a project coordinator. The main field tool used by the project is the Game Conservancy Trust mink raft, which has proved an effective device for both monitoring and trapping mink. In addition to the practical tasks involved with volunteer management and mink trapping, a significant amount of the project officers' time is dedicated to publicising and raising awareness for the project with activities such as school visits, community talks attending local events etc.

On the River Spey, Aviemore to Grantown is almost clear of mink, with only very occasional signs. Between Grantown and Aberlour, there is still a low density of mink, although the area is not yet completely covered by mink rafts. There are still some mink in the lower Avon sub-catchment although the upper catchment is clear. The Fiddich catchment is a large area, which is currently only partially covered. Similarly the main Spey between Aberlour and Spey Bay is not as yet sufficiently covered, although the density of mink in this section is lower than was first thought.

Work on the Don remains patchy with some very large gaps, as work has primarily focussed on the Spey. Mink appear to be at high density in the lower and mid reaches, and are certainly present in the mid-upper reaches, of the Don.

The upper Spey, Garry and Ardle are well covered by mink rafts and are largely mink free with only a few incursions by dispersing mink from adjacent areas. On the rivers Tummel, Tay, Ericht and in the Kirriemuir area, raft coverage is currently incomplete and breeding and dispersing mink are still present.

The Ythan catchment is covered in its entirety with mink rafts and is free of breeding mink. The relatively few mink that continue to be caught there are individuals dispersing into the lower tributaries from adjacent catchments and the coast. Work on the nearby Cruden Water has only begun in the last month. However, mink activity has been detected in the upper reaches (near to the Ythan catchment). Clearing this catchment should reduce encroachment into the Ythan.

There is comprehensive coverage of the upper and mid-Dee, and good, though not-complete coverage of the lower-Dee. The upper Dee appears to be free of breeding or dispersing mink. Mink activity in the mid-Dee (upstream of Aboyne) is very low with only a very few mink reported and/or trapped around Glen Tanar and Tarland in 2009. Mink persist in the mid and lower Dee (from around Banchory to the estuary), although the removal of 80+ mink from this section in the last twelve months should see numbers well down in 2010. Around Stonehaven, the River Cowie is well covered and has no, to very low, mink activity with no recent positive signs.

The NW Highlands project currently covers an area from Loch Broom to the Dornoch Firth and south-east to the River Ness. This area was targeted more recently as an extension of the original mink eradication area, with the intention of preventing the spread of mink northwards into the currently mink-free far north of Scotland, where significant populations of water voles and other native wildlife exist.

A good raft network has already been established in the few months that this part of the project has been running. The north of the area has low levels of mink activity, possibly only suffering incursions by dispersing mink. Activity is higher in the south of the area where both breeding and dispersing mink are encountered.

Since July 2007 all the projects have collectively accounted for over 370 mink removed from the river catchments covered by the project officers. This has made a significant impact on the overall mink population, with large areas of river catchments now free of breeding mink. It is clear that the community-based approach to mink eradication is a winning formula, with a diversity of people interested in having their area mink free, for an equally diverse number of reasons, be it for water voles, fish, birds, or native wildlife in general.

In the next phase of the project expansion we expect to further increase the relative involvement of the wider fishing community. Ultimately, the aim will be to handover the running of mink control within catchments to the relevant fisheries trust (with ongoing facilitation and support where required) after we have achieved initial full raft coverage, mink removal and reduced sources of re-colonists.

16 May 2008

Three areas of work are in progress at present:

Hebridean Mink Project (Phase 2) - This phase of the project has now been running for over a year and good progress has been made with both the installation of the traps and the trapping strategy. A total of 354 animals were caught in the first year. This compares with around 570 for all of the Uists and South Harris in the five years of Phase I. Nearly 5000 traps are now in place from South Harris up to the Stornoway area. We are on course to achieve our ultimate aim of eradicating mink from the Western Isles.

Isle of Mull Mink Control Initiative - A feasibility study was commissioned by SNH in 2007 and the report was completed in November 2007. Complete eradication may not be practical, but an intensive systematic control effort to significantly reduce the population, combined with ongoing monitoring and localised control in key areas including the adjacent parts of the mainland is likely to be the most effective strategy. Funding for the project is being sought through the EU LIFE+ programme and the Nadair Trust. Training has been undertaken for volunteers in conjunction with the Mull and Iona Community Trust (MICT).

North West Highlands Mink Control Initiative - Note this is closely inter-related with the Species Action Framework objectives of the Water Vole. A total of 130 mink rafts and 130 cage traps have been purchased for use on river systems in the north and NW Highlands. Some of these have already been deployed in Sutherland for monitoring purposes. Most of the remaining rafts will be deployed by fisheries staff working in region over the next few months. A training day was run on 21 May 2008 to provide the initial impetus for this. The rafts will initially be used primarily to detect mink, but live traps will also be set where evidence of mink is found.

An extensive survey of mink signs around the coast of Sutherland & Caithness has been completed by Oxford University with financial support from SNH. Survey of the major river systems in the area is now underway. All the mink survey and monitoring information will be used to develop a longer term strategy for mink management in the region and to inform the relevant parts of the EU LIFE+ bid (below).

In addition, technical and financial support is being provided by SNH towards the development of a GB wide EU LIFE+ funding bid for strategic mink control, led by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust and due to be submitted in November 2008. This is intended to secure funding for at least some of the work proposed the latter two projects identified above.