Signs of Mink present

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by eeyore

I dont like a vets chances of getting a wild mink to hold still long enough to be given a lethal injection , and there wont be just one anyway - the average colony runs to between 10 and 20 ! - also remember that this is breeding season to be humane you ought to hold off so as not to starve little minklets - but if you do you will ave lots more to deal with later catch 22

i wouldnt have thought that crows were up to catching fish - tho of course corvids might have done some of the damage once something else had initially caught the fish

No...they need those dart things vets use for tigers!

They do wander far though on their own but when one comes...the rest follow, especially if there's food on the menu.

[eeyore]

and if your going to dart it you may as well use a .222 frangy (argghh I said i wasnt going to talk about killing * slaps own wrist* )

ahh mink hey megan that takes us back - how did you get on with you mink population - do you still have sweet little roley poley voleys scampering about or are they all mink fodder now ?

[JeffH]

Originally Posted by eeyore

I wouldnt have thought that crows were up to catching fish - tho of course corvids might have done some of the damage once something else had initially caught the fish

They may not be up to "catching" fish but they're certainly up to trying!

In my case, the injured fish (including some quite large ones of 6 - 8 inches) hadn't been "caught" but were still alive in the water, though it may well be that the Rooks visiting my pond had been successful in catching some smaller fish, especially as the water around the edges of the pond concerned is very shallow and my smaller fish tend to linger there.

Perhaps buddhabaker could clarify whether his injured fish had actually been "caught" and their corpses left lying around his ponds (or perhaps floating dead in the water) or whether, though injured, they were still alive in the water?

I'd say the jury's still out on this one and that all suspects remain innocent until proven guilty

Jeff

PS. any Pike in your ponds buddha?

[buddhabaker]

Thanks to everyone who has posted a reply.
#1 I don't have any Pike or large Perch in the ponds.
#2 Crows have been seen around the lakes edges pulling out dead fish. In fact we have 1 crow that actually dives in, gets his body wet, then flies off with a Roach. It must have been watching a Seagull closely and thought "I could do that" and does - awesome.
#3 Live fish have been sent off for analysis and their death's are definitiely not due to infection or disease. I have scooped out live but injured fish and carefully injected them with an anti-biotic from our local Vet.
#4 The Environment Agency say deaths are probably due to overstocking but many of them have injuries as previously described.
#5 A stream runs right through the middle of our land. We have been frequented by Otters in the past and found large fish dead on the bankside "headless"; Which is a classic sign of Otters. The ponds are now surrounded by electric fencing and Otters have not been present for the past year.
#6 A large "something" has been seen swimming across the ponds at night and couple with the described injuries I have attributed them to Mink as I understand they can cause this type of damage. Hence my request for more information for signs of Mink being present and how to identify and eradicate them?

Many thanks,
Bill Baker aka buddhabaker

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

Ahhh mink, Mink traps are widly avaiable to buy or you could build your own. Any local game keepers I'm sure would kill and then dispose of the bodies. Failing that your local wildlife trust may be able to put you in contact with someone who would shoot them for you.
you.
Good luck

BWD

[C C]

There could be a number of possibilties for the injuries to the fish, Heron,Cormorant, Goosander, Gulls and of course Mink. If you are unlucky like a local i know you could have them all.
Mink can be determined by signs of tracks and/or scats. This link may be helpful.
Otters in Cornwall

There are five main methods of keeping mink in check. Three of which i frown upon so i will only metion Two.
1. Live trapping with a suitable cage trap, positioned well and checked at least twice a day in Autumn/winter and three times in Spring/Summer. Once in the morining and then at night, and any time in between for Spring/Summer. Inspect from a distance. If unable to inspect on certain times take up trap or disengage. A good bait is a Kipper, long Shelf life, slugs love it though. Expect to catch more than mink, for a mink trap will catch Rat, Hedgehog, Cat, stoat, and many a bird. When you do finally catch a Mink, it must be dispatched humanely, an high power gun is preferred.

2. Stalking with a high powered gun is a lot easier, only if you a sure shot. Just simply site yourself out in a concealed place and squeek in the Mink, they will come right up, near enough to stroke.

If you are not confident in the above then seek out an expert local to your area.

[codfish]

i have just returned from an early morning fishing trip around the river freshney area in grimsby, on my way home i found a perch of around a lb in weight lying on the track. it was not there on my way to the pond 2 hrs earlier. it had a bite out of it between the gills and its stomach of around about inch and half and all its intestines wer missing. i had a good sniff n found it to be fresh.
could any one shed any light on this as the only thing i can think of is mink or otters and as i have never heard of any sightings or signs around these parts im keen to know what it is that has caused this!!
could this be the reason i never caught any thing this morning?? the fish in this pond used to be 2 a throw now ur lucky to get a bite.(no pun intended).
any information would be appreciated.

[Dogghound]

Do people fish this lake? or have they fished it in the past?

Damage to the base of the dorsal fin is caused by keepnets.

Damage to the mouth is from wear and tear of hooks.

Its unlikely mink would cause these sorts of small scale injuries to fish, more likely you would find fish with their heads chewed off on the banks if you had mink (or otters).