American Mink Project off to a Great Start However Volunteers Still Needed

Since North Tayside Project Officer Ann-Marie MacMaster  took up her post nearly 8 months ago, she has put in place 89 new rafts and recruited 40 new volunteers throughout North Tayside. As a result of this work, volunteers have successfully dispatched 57 mink.

In Angus mink have been dispatched in the following river catchments; 7 on the River Isla, 28 on the Lunan Water and 13 on the River South Esk.

The majority of new rafts and volunteers in Angus are located on the Lunan Water and River South Esk catchments, which explains why so many mink have been removed from these catchments. Another important factor is that there has been no coordinated monitoring and trapping here prior to April 2011.

Raft coverage on the Lunan Water is good, however there is still room for improvement on the River South Esk. 2012 will see an increased focus on the Bervie Water and the River North Esk catchments. An important lesson that the project has learned so far is that individual mink are capable of massive movements and potentially re-establishing in areas that have previously been cleared. Therefore it is essential that volunteers remain vigilant even in areas where mink have not been seen for a while.

Ann-Marie will be looking to meet keen volunteers in these areas. For more information email ann-marie@rafts.org.uk or visit www.scottishmink.org.uk

The Scottish Mink Initiatives’ December newsletter is on our newsletter section and don’t forget that any mink sightings can also be reported on our river watch section of the website.