Vol. 401 No. 4
98 Mr. Clohessy asked the Minister for Finance if he has any plans to deal with the damage caused by wild mink to fish stocks and other wildlife, including mallard, young otters and fox cubs in rivers and waterways, in the Munster area.
I have no plans to introduce a programme for the control of wild mink. Studies on wild mink by the Wildlife Service, Office of Public Works, indicate that mink do not have as great an impact on other wild species as is commonly believed. Where mink cause local damage they may lawfully be killed using traps approved under the Wildlife Act, 1976.
The Wildlife Service is preparing an information booklet on wild mink which will contain information, inter alia, on methods of control. This booklet will be available in the near future.
