The Extinction of the Sea Mink
How Unregulated Trapping Destroyed a Species
Sep 11, 2008 Scottie V. Westfall
In North America, the American mink is a common species that makes its home near waterways, streams, lakes, and marshes. However, when Europeans arrived, two species of mink lived in North America. The other species of mink was the sea mink that ranged along the Atlantic Coast from Massachusetts to Nova Scotia, with some authorities claiming its existence on the island of Newfoundland as well. This species suffered during fur trade in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, which led to its extinction.
Description
The sea mink was roughly twice the size of the American mink. One individual was described in 1867 that was 32.5 inches (82.6 centimeters) in length, while nearly all authorities describe this species as having a reddish brown coat and an unusually strong odor. Its body is described as thicker and fatter than that of the American mink, which would make sense if the sea mink spent more time in cold water. Larger animals with thicker bodies can retain heat in cold water much longer.
We Know Little about the Sea Mink’s Behavior
We know remarkably little about the sea mink. It was considered a fur bearer during the early years of settlement, and very few people knew its biology or behavior. All that was usually written about it was its physical description. In fact, it was only determined to be a distinct species from the America mink after its extinction, when taxonomists compared its skeletal structure with the American mink.
It is known that the animal was not very common at the beginning of European settlement. The species may have been more common in the centuries before European settlement, because its remains have been found in many Native American shell middens. Settlers trapped both species of mink, sending their pelts to Europe. However, this initial trapping did not destroy the sea mink. Its pelts were commonly collected in Maine during the early nineteenth century.
However, by the mid-nineteenth century, the rising middle classes with their increased disposable incomes drove the demand for fur even higher. Both species of mink were heavily trapped. Conservation laws as we know them today were not in existence during this time, and the sea mink’s numbers began to plummet. Mass-produced efficient traps also made the slaughter of the sea mink accelerate. The sea mink would not be able to survive this phase of trapping.
Extinction
As a result of this increased trapping, the sea mink went extinct in the United States in 1880. A sea mink was trapped on an island in the Gulf of Maine, and this specimen was the last of its kind in the country. The sea mink may have lasted in Canada longer. It has been reported that the last sea mink was trapped on Campobello Island, New Brunswick, in 1894, but it is unclear whether this mink was a sea mink or an American mink.
The extinction of this species has been blamed on unregulated taking. The story of the sea mink should be a warning that all wildlife should be regulated according to sound wildlife management principles. We have no way of knowing what other factors could have led to the sea mink’s extinction or why the American mink was able to survive the decades of heavy trapping. All that we do know is that the sea mink was unable to survive this increased pressure from the expanding fur market.
Sources:
Extinction Website page on the Sea Mink
Species of Mink website
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