He was among the first to step onto the ice, although it was late due to the warm weather, and his fishing trip turned out to be successful: he managed to catch several pikes weighing up to a kilogram on live bait. "As if sensing our luck, an American mink approached us. These predators are increasingly appearing during winter fishing and often steal caught fish," noted Aibek Alghozhoyev.
Ecologist Alexander Sosnovsky reported that the American mink was introduced to Kyrgyzstan and is now widespread in many water bodies, including Lake Issyk-Kul.
He added that the mink was acclimatized in Kyrgyzstan in the 1960s. This predator is versatile: it hunts anything it can catch, has excellent swimming and diving abilities, and digs its own burrows for shelter. Its body length can reach up to 45 cm, and its weight can be up to 2 kg. Due to its diet, which consists of fish, frogs, and rodents, the American mink is displacing local predatory species.
