Mink

[tonya]

I've seen several posts about Otters but do Mink affect the fishing in rivers and lakes much?
I know that Otters kill Mink.

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

yes mink will kill fish - also take ducklings

 

[rayner]

Mink are kill Water Voles.

Edit.
Really poor grammar !

 

[floatfish]

Wild Mink are regarded as a pest for the damage they do.

One day fishing the Wharfe a chap carrying a powerful Air rifle came
along asking if I had seen any Mink. I had not, but he told me several had been seen in the area and he had permission to shoot them.As he left, he said he had shot 8 recently in that area.

I took his word for that and left him too it.

 

[mikench]

Another species that should not be here! Uttery brainless animal liberation morons let them lose to the detriment of our indigenous wildlife birds, water voles etc. They are killed by otters.

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

Another species that should not be here! Uttery brainless animal liberation morons let them lose to the detriment of our indigenous wildlife birds, water voles etc. They are killed by otters.

So true pity the bleeding hearts don't think before they act

 

[tigger]

Mink might be a problem to fish stocks in a garden pond.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

The Mink that we have herein the UK are the American (Neovison vison), and not the European version, (Mustela lutreola) which is now an endangered species throughout Europe.

Mink were farmed here as early as 1920 and the vast majority of those you see stem from escapees rather than the limited (and bloody stupid) criminal actions by those releasing them deliberately.

Fur farming here was banned completely by the Fur Farming (Prohibition) Act 2000 and by that time there were less than a handful of sites left.

In my area, the upper reaches of the Hampshire Avon, we had a veritable invasion of the damned things about 25 years ago, but now, with a targeted shooting campaign, there are relatively few left.

Currently there is no official national strategy for managing mink, and that, in my opinion is a huge mistake.

 

[stripey]

Mink will kill anything, i have witnessed a full grown Mallard being taken under water and drowned by a Mink, a small stream i fish locally is almost devoid of Kingfishers because of mink, they are the I S of the natural world, if you see one kill it!

 

[tigger]

Mink will kill anything, i have witnessed a full grown Mallard being taken under water and drowned by a Mink, a small stream i fish locally is almost devoid of Kingfishers because of mink, they are the I S of the natural world, if you see one kill it!

Mink are here to stay, they're pretty much everywhere in the UK. I shot mink 25yrs ago in the highlands of scotland, along with ferral cats. Imo the household cats are far worse than mink and they are a legal pest that kill for nothing, at least the mink only kills to eat.

 

[binka]

Only yesterday whilst fishing with crow, a mink crossed fairly casually behind him within five or six feet and I've had the damn things practically walk across mine on more than one occasion.

Not much seems to spook them.

 

[thecrow]

Don't know how true it is but I have been told that if there are mink about there wont be any rats as the mink kill them? I would rather have none of the bloody things, mink released by idiots rats kept at fisheries through rubbish left by people.

 

[tigger]

Don't know how true it is but I have been told that if there are mink about there wont be any rats as the mink kill them? I would rather have none of the bloody things, mink released by idiots rats kept at fisheries through rubbish left by people.

It is true that mink seem to favor eating rats and do search for them along the rivers, ditches etc, but they'll munch on lots of other things also which is the problem.

 

[tonya]

Don't confuse rats with water voles.

 

[Cliff Hatton]

A few years ago, on the R.Lark in Norfolk (Cambridge?) I saw a weasel kill a rabbit 5-6 times its size and push, pull, cajole its victim down the embankment, across the road and into a hedgerow. 'Determined' wasn't the word!

On the upper Chelmer, I watched a mother mallard position herself between her two ducklings and an approaching mink. She ordered her offspring to get back and out of the way while she allowed the marauding black predator to get within no more than a couple of feet of her before she, too, fled the scene.

At Culvert's Mere near Maldon, Essex, the peace and quiet was disturbed by an horrendous squealing from the bush I was fishing beside. Minutes later, a young coot appeared in the shallows, its leg hanging on by a thread and bleeding profusely.

 

[rayner]

Don't know how true it is but I have been told that if there are mink about there wont be any rats as the mink kill them? I would rather have none of the bloody things, mink released by idiots rats kept at fisheries through rubbish left by people.

I know tons of rubbish is left on fisheries by catchers, I call them catchers because they don't deserve the accolade of angler.
The rats are there for the baits that we use. They grow fat on meat and pellets, or anything else they can find. Even underwater as they dive easily.

---------- Post added at 03:32 ---------- Previous post was at 03:27 ----------

A few years ago, on the R.Lark in Norfolk (Cambridge?) I saw a weasel kill a rabbit 5-6 times its size and push, pull, cajole its victim down the embankment, across the road and into a hedgerow. 'Determined' wasn't the word!

I saw this happen in a field on the opposite bank when I was fishing the upper Welland. The weasel chased the rabbit for a minute or so.
The rabbit squealed until it was dead, never knew a little rabbit could make such a din.

 

[S-Kippy]

Used to see loads of mink around here but haven't seen one for years now. Doesn't mean they aren't still about though.In fact the last mink I saw was on the Wye Fish In lurking about on the far bank.....pity it wasn't searching for eels.

Nasty damned things. Will kill for the sake of it and should be shot on sight IMO. Maybe the spread of otters has something to do with the reduction in mink as an otter will not tolerate mink on its patch.

 

[tigger]

Don't confuse rats with water voles.

I'm not confusing the two....blaming mink for the demise of voles is bullshine.
The reason voles have declined so rapidly is because of pollution and habitat destruction etc etc. I know of pools and streams that used to be full of voles (I used to shoot a few for me ferrets now and then when I was fishing) and the pools where filled in and the streams became thick with pollution...voles exterminated.

Mink are an invasive species we all know that but using them as an excuse for the demise of a species as some people are when there are other far greater issues that are having a much more serious impact is just daft.

 

[Cliff Hatton]

I'm not confusing the two....blaming mink for the demise of voles is bullshine.
The reason voles have declined so rapidly is because of pollution and habitat destruction etc etc. I know of pools and streams that used to be full of voles (I used to shoot a few for me ferrets now and then when I was fishing) and the pools where filled in and the streams became thick with pollution...voles exterminated.

Mink are an invasive species we all know that but using them as an excuse for the demise of a species as some people are when there are other far greater issues that are having a much more serious impact is just daft.

Spot-on, Tigger. Essex used to be Vole City - then all the pits got filled in. There used to be so many voles we didn't even mention them.

 

[tonya]

Sorry Tigger, but you are wrong, every wildlife authority says so. Mink are largely responsible for the drop in Vole numbers. Of couese, loss of habitat and pollution have an effect too.
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/water-vole-faq
Water voles eat reeds and grass and are not interested in anglers rubbish like Brown Rats are.
They are protected now, unlike brown rats.