30 See Nanci Alexander, Alligator Hunts Harm Floridas Public Image, The N.Y. Times, Nov. 8, 1991. FWC holds training seminars prior to the season to help informed the public on the requirements within the harvesting program. Do you have a hunting permit or license in Florida to hunt alligators? 1939-60: Commercial harvest averages 18,005 per year; 1962-72: Louisiana's alligator season is closed statewide; officials turn attention to research and management of the resource; . "It is rare to document alligators of this size class with annual growth rates of this magnitude," the MWDFP stated on Facebook It's really amazing when contrasted with the growth rate of an. An Alligator Trapping License, a Harvest Permit, and two CITES tags will be awarded to the applicant who successfully completes the application process. If you do not want to have a permit, the chance to hunt with it is gone. In addition, the states hunting program allows about 40,000 wild alligators to be harvested each year. Goody! quote attributed to Will Cuppy, American Humorist (1884-1949). Accurate estimates of species counts coupled with the issuance of the right number of hunting permits can take much-needed pressure off a species that is often competing for a portion of an insufficient supply of habitat or food.33 Hunting also provides recreational opportunities as well as a revenue source to the state through licensing, gear, guides, meat, and hide sales.34 Moreover, hunting offers the added benefit of reducing the possibility of human-animal impacts.35 Florida witnessed this most recently in the much publicized and highly controversial black bear hunt.36 However, hunting for charismatic mega-fauna like the black bear generally attracts a different type and level of attention than the hunting of the mysterious and ominous alligator. Though you may skin and consume your own alligator, if the skin, carcass, or meat is to be sold; only permitted alligator processing facilities must be used to process the animal. Report fish kills, wildlife emergencies, sightings, etc. Landowners win because they are able to make money by providing a good habitat. In 2000, that was reduced to 14 percent, and in 2007, to 12 percent. 13 See U.S. Its really amazing when contrasted with the growth rate of an 11-foot, 1-inch alligator harvested by hunter Cory Stewart at the end of August. An alligatormust be at least 18 inches long from snoutto tail to harvest. However, challenges still remain. Alligator Harvest Unit Maps Harvest units 101 - 112 Preference is given to Florida residents who have completed an approved alligator hunting course. Previously, alligators were on an endangered species list but made a huge rebound, becoming somewhat of a dangerous presence. Choosing a hunting rifle should consider the caliber, weight, and power of the gun. Choosing the right firearm for hunting can be a difficult task. So after you see one, try using a dimmed or filtered light as you approach. The Alligator Harvest Report Form must be completed by permit holders in order to harvest alligator. In 2011, 8,103 gators were taken, well up above the number just a . The current state record alligator length is 14 feet 3.5 inches taken from Lake Washington in Brevard County. A larger caliber would be more powerful, but it would also increase the likelihood of causing damage. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that the American alligator was threatened with extinction and classified it as endangered under the Endangered Species Preservation Act,10 the predecessor to what is arguably the most powerful federal environmental law on the books today, the Endangered Species Act.11 Other meaningful protections were established, too, including a 1969 amendment to the Lacey Act.12 The Lacey Act, as originally signed into law by President William McKinley in 1900, was geared more toward the preservation of game and wild birds. "I think it's going to be an exceptionally good year for alligator hunting,"saidLewis Clanton of Fort Pierce,an alligator hunting guide for 23 years. Louisiana alligator hunting regulations state that lottery hunters can only be assigned six lines for each of the three alligator tags they are issued. 3d 915, 918-19 (Fla. 4th DCA 2012). We use asterisks (*) to indicate data points not used in analysis because of the deleterious effects on alligator nesting of Hurricane Rita (2005) and Hurricane Ike (2008). 169 0 obj <> endobj Alligators or alligator hides cannot be sold to the general public unless they are purchased from a fur buyer or dealer. Alligator hunting is a popular sport in Louisiana. The Louisiana state government allows hunters to take down alligators as part of an outdoor adventure that allows visitors to see some of the states wildlife. Restrictions on alligator hunting during the early part of the century were almost nonexistent and the regulations that followed were much looser than they are today with essentially no hunting permits, tags, or quotas.5 Hunting for this top-of-the-food-chain species was managed in a fashion more similar to that of raccoons and rabbits, which was often year-round and with few limits. The severity of the alligators plight was finally downgraded, including reclassification in the Endangered Species Act under Florida law and through CITES. The Burmese python is now distributed across more than a thousand square miles of southern Florida, including all of Everglades National Park and areas to the north including Big Cypress National Preserve and Collier-Seminole State Forest. Orange Lake ranked third with 3,110 alligators hunted. They are quick and it only takes a second to lose a finger, a hand, or worse. That hasnt always been the case. You find them in all the suitable habitats around the state: coastal marshland, rivers, bayous and swamps.. Pursuant to section 120.74, Florida Statutes, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has published its2022 Agency Regulatory Plan. When an alligator hunter reaches his or her quota, all hooks and lines must be removed from the water. Typically, hunters kill about70 percent of the harvest quota. The species, along with many others, was a casualty of habitat loss and hydrologic alterations beginning in the late 1800s and early 1900s as much of Floridas wetlands and swamps were drained for flood control, navigation, and agriculture and to make way for roads, housing, and future development. Yet it also is a point of controversy between the FWCC and animal rights advocates based on fundamental disagreements over both the need for the program, and also the methods employed to manage the population. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Farris Bryant Building Dont wait, because the tags are limited and will be gone quickly. The American alligators range extends from the south tip of Texas to the northeastern edge of North Carolina. Alligators at that size have scales that are the right size to be made into belts, wallets, watchbands and the like, Price explained. Louisianas alligator harvest, which dates back centuries and has a significant economic impact on the state, continues to this day. With over 1 million print readers per month and the industrys most expansive distribution network, we have emerged as one of the largest outdoor publications in the United States and abroad, thus solidifying our place as a preferred resource. There are many alligators in Florida, but in Louisiana, the most common are in coastal marshes, and they live in freshwater rivers, lakes, and swamps. That samenumber will be the distance,infeet, from the tip of the animal'ssnout to the tip of its tail. Since the time 2003-2005, this area of the Mississippi Delta has seen a tremendous increase in the Asian carp population, the MWDFP stated. 25 Wamser v. City of St. Petersburg, 330 So. You have permission to edit this article. The second-most common was 7 feet, followed by 7 feet, 6 inches. Ordinary care, however, does not mean the owner must prevent all injuries, but rather that the owner should use reasonable care to discover dangerous conditions on the property and to protect visitors from or inform visitors about those discovered conditions. However, millions of years of evolutionary development have made the species very adept at concealing themselves, making it difficult for those unfamiliar with Floridas natural landscape, such as non-native tourists, travelers, or visitors, to discover their presence before it is too late. The establishment of alligator hunting in Florida in 1988 was made necessary by the states need to control alligator populations. All told, alligator ranching is estimated to be a $100 million industry in Louisiana, Elsey said. %PDF-1.5 % There is more angler content on Social Media! 35 Michael R. Conover, Resolving Human-Wildlife Conflicts: The Science of Wildlife Damage Management 48 (2002). Thats a direct addition to the bottom line, he said. You can complete the alligator harvest report form online or by submitting a printed hardcopy. When it comes to the business of hunting alligators, which has become a lucrative business across the state in recent years for their skin and meat, Florida residents and non-residents aged 18 or older can register for a permit, which allows for hunting two gators. The American alligator is a reptile scientifically classified in the Family Alligatoridae. Each year, hunters with alligator tags apply for the season to begin. They relate to the taking of nuisance alligators, alligator farming, selling of alligator products, and much more. It wont happen immediately, however. Though alligators are found most often in freshwater, they can tolerate some levels of saltwater for a short period of time. Hes ready to see that progress extend to the ranchers, too. accounted for an average of over 56 fatalities per year, compared to an average of about 1 fatality per year from alligator attacks in the United States (Forrester et al. It is similar in appearance to the threatened American crocodile which is classified in the Family Crocodylidae. Phase 1 random drawing application deadlines are May 17 at 10 a.m. and May 27 at 5 p.m. A permit allows hunters to harvest two alligators from a designated harvest unit or county. %%EOF One star-studded, two for future leaders, Theres a new rule to keep these cuties away from crab traps in Florida. Elsey said the hunting and ranching program differs from some other methods of species conservation. tags will not be replaced unless they have been reported as stolen or lost. ALLIGATOR FACT SHEET HISTORY The American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) has changed little from its original form some 180 million years ago. 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