At present there are about a dozen mink rafts on the Association waters sections of the river system. These rafts from part of a network which has been succesful in removing over 30 mink in the past year from the Ythan system.
This has resulted in waters voles recolonising areas where they had previously been excluded from, by the predating American mink.Last year water voles were spotted on the main river above Methlick and also on the bottom of the Ebrie by Ardlethen indicating an increase in populations sizes.
This year I plan to place some posters providing more information on the project and the premise of the rafts in the local communities, fishing huts and suitable spots along the river.
All the rafts currently running have a small card attached to them indicating what they are and who controls them, but it would be great to receive reports from anglers regarding sightings of mink and water voles and that is also the aim of the posters.
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The
Water Vole is the most endangered mammal in Britain due to its population decline of 98% in the past fifty years. Although in some parts of the North East Water voles are still holding on.
The few hundred colonies that remain are scattered over thousands of kilometres of rivers streams and ditches. For water voles, as for other species the sad fact is that isolated populations are doomed to fail.
Local action might be enough to keep a single colony going, but in order for the population to be self sustaining, a conservation action has to be implemented over a wide area. |
Water Vole |
Mink ( not happy!!) |
A partnership between the North East Local Biodiversity Action Plan and the University of Aberdeen (co-funded by SNH and Mammals Trust UK) is hoping to not only halt the decline of water voles in parts of rural Aberdeenshire but also to re-create the large clusters of colonies that are needed to create a viable population.
Fishing and shooting are important activities in rural Aberdeenshire therefore mink control activities are already undertaken by many gamekeepers, fishing ghillies and bailiffs.
Mink are bad news for water voles and game alike, so throughout the project training is provided on monitoring mink with Game Conservancy Trust mink rafts and on legal and humane mink control practices.
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This will help banish these silky-coated predators from large areas of water vole habitat. Crucially, the project takes advantage of the enthusiasm of many local people and conservation groups who have so far been happy to take over the local mink raft monitoring scheme. This wide involvement ensures the sustainability of the project, and allows it to spread to adjacent areas.
At present we have a number of rafts on the main section of the River Ythan, which is surrounded by important yet vulnerable water vole colonies, in the coming months we hope to add to this number and are seeking help from the community. What we are looking for from you, the members of ADAA is to report sightings of water voles and mink to us from North East waterways, but specifically the Ythan River catchment. Or if your interested in becoming a volunteer with the project or would like more information feel free to contact me Jamie Urquhart on jamie.urquhart@abdn.ac.uk or 0786 0846 999.
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Water Vole Black |
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