Español
The Consejería de Fomento y Medio Ambiente of the Junta de Castilla y León, beneficiary associated with the LIFE Paludicola project, has finalized the first American mink (Neovison vison) control campaign. The objective is to eradicate the populations of this species in the Tierra de Campos wetlands and its surroundings. These reduction and control activities are part of the C6 Action of the LIFE Paludicola project (Control del visón americano).
During these months, a total of 9 American minks have been caught and scattered throughout the following action zones:
Laguna de la Nava
In the fall of 2017, a trapping station was placed between 26/10/2017 and 30/12/2017, with a total of 14 traps and 4 American minks caught.
In 2018, the trapping station was set up between 02/01/2018 and 22/06/2018, with a total of 12 traps and 5 American minks caught.
Lagunas de Boada and Pedraza de Campos
The trapping stations were set up between 26/04/2018 and 24/06/2018. 6 traps were placed in the Laguna de Boada and 4 tramps in streams of the Laguna de Pedraza. No American minks have been caught yet.
The method used in all areas was selective live trapping, with cage traps on the edge baited with different baits, depending on the availability or preference in each area.
Environmental agents were in charge of installing and checking the traps, as well as sending the completed summary reports during the trapping campaign to the Servicio Territorial de Medio Ambiente, where the data is analyzed.
The work will continue starting on October 2018.
The American Mink
The American mink is a mustelid native to North America, brought to Europe through releases and escapes of fur farms. It’s one of the exotic invasive species with the biggest impact to different autochthonous species in Europe, capable of eating birds, fish, invertebrates, reptiles, or other small mammals.
The American mink population in the Iberian Peninsula is estimated to be of 30,000 specimens, occupying around 12,530 kilometers of rivers in Spanish territory, according to data facilitated by the Estrategia de gestión, control y erradicación of this mammal that is detrimental to different economic activities, such as recreational fishing, aviculture, and pisciculture.
Other LIFE Projects
Other LIFE projects have been developed in Castilla y León, in which similar actions have been taken to provide a solution to this serious problem.
Actualmente a nivel nacional se está desarrollando el proyecto LIFE + Lutreola Spain donde se ha puesto en marcha un exitoso método de trampeo mediante plataformas flotantes.