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The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) adopted a notice of intent reducing the number of farm raised alligators required to be released into the wild from 10% to 5% during its October meeting Thursday (Oct. 7) in Baton Rouge. Nuisance alligator harvest and alligator farming regulation changes were also adopted in the notice of intent by the LWFC.

The reduction of release is in response to the increased number of nests, which is surveyed each year by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF). The estimate has grown from less than 10,000 in the 1970s and ‘80s to more than 60,000 in recent years. The nesting increase has produced a wild population that can be sustained with a much lower farm return rate.

To see the complete NOI, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/resources/category/commission-action-items.

For more information or to comment on the NOI, contact Jeb Linscombe at jlinscombe@wlf.la.gov or write to LDWF, 200 Dulles Dr., Lafayette, LA., 70506. Comments on the NOI will be accepted until Dec. 2, 2021.