I trap all species for management purposes to keep the line healthy.You cannot manage a trapline on the basis of pelt price.And the investment needs to be protected regardless.It costs nothing to trap mink while trapping other keystone management species like beaver.Neglect a predator like mink and it will affect other species on the line,especially rats.Mink are efficient killers,and will surplus kill.Managing mink is not nearly as important as managing beaver or wolf which have a huge negative affect on line productivity when neglected, but I will harvest some mink every season to keep things in balance.
Same goes for treating traps.It is no more effort for me to treat mink traps while treating all other traps and snares.
I have to pay my Game Commission to trap, so I guess if Im paying, I will trap whatever furbearers I want, or none at all. I get what your saying, but in this market I cant afford to run all over the country doing the "right" thing, if there is such a thing.