Development of population control strategies for mink Mustela vison, using floating rafts as monitors and trap sites

We describe a raft designed to act both as a monitoring device and as a trap site for American mink, Mustela visors. The raft uses a wet tracking medium to record footprints. It was evaluated during summer in a chalk-stream river catchment in central southern England. The raft detected mink at significantly more sites (55%) than did either owners and managers relying on field observation and trapping (19%), or established biological survey techniques (33%). The primary value of the raft is seen to be in experimental field research to determine appropriate policies for mink management. In the pilot application described, rafts were used to derive a minimum mink population estimate for the catchment, and to determine the benefit of a commercially available scent attractant for mink. The raft also has immediate value in management to improve several aspects of trapping for mink population control: efficiency, non-target involvement, and post-removal monitoring. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.