What is considered the first North American animal made extinct by human activity?

An animal that was most closely related to the American mink (Neovison vison) was the sea mink. The sea mink (Neovison macrodon) is an extinct species of carnivore from the eastern coast of North America in the family Mustelidae, the largest family in the order Carnivora. They went extinct in the 1800s.

We know that the sea mink went extinct before it was really studied. There is a lot we don't know. However, around 1903 animal enthusiasts found remains in what were dens or living areas of the sea mink. This included things like mink skeletons and remains of their food. Reports were also collected from people who actually saw sea minks while they lived. Along with this information, scientists then studied the close living relatives of the sea mink, and make guesses as to how they acted. They were seen as territorial.

Historically, it was shown that sea minks were hunted for their fur. Their fur tended to be very soft and warm, especially in the winter when they grow thicker coats. This is the main reason they went extinct. Men (fur traders) killed them. The unregulated fur trading business led to their extinction, which is thought to have occurred just before the start of the 20th century. The sea mink was seldom sighted in the years proceeding 1860, with the last recorded kill of a sea mink in 1880 in Jonesport, Maine.

Also it was assumed that sea minks were hunted by Native Americans. They used them for food, to barter with trappers, or for ceremonial purposes.