The Scottish Mink Initiative aims to remove breeding American mink from north Scotland and covers an area of 20,000 km2 from northern Tayside across Aberdeenshire, Moray, and the Cairngorms National Park to the north and east Highlands. Our southerly boundary runs from Lunan Bay to Forfar to Coupar Angus to Dunkeld to Aberfeldy and out to Loch Rannoch.
The Initiative is part of the Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland’s Biosecurity and Invasive Non Native Species Programme, implementing a large scale strategic approach to American mink control, as recommended by Scottish Natural Heritage through the Species Action Framework.
Ness and Beauly Fisheries Trust are actively involved in the Scottish mink initiative http://www.scottishmink.org.uk/ Our role is to co-ordinate volunteers throughout both catchments to monitor and trap Mink along with monitoring and trapping ourselves. We currently have over 40 volunteers throughout and they are responsible for monitoring rafts and traps once a positive ID has been ascertained.
This year has seen a large number reported, especially around Inverness town centre and there is a need for more volunteers, if you are interested or see a Mink then please contact to the Trust office.
Mink Trap in situ
Recently Captured and Humanly Dispatched Mink
