ENROLLED
2023 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 132
BY REPRESENTATIVES BROWN, BACALA, BOURRIAQUE, FISHER, FREEMAN,
LARVADAIN, RISER, ROMERO, AND THOMPSON
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To urge and request the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Alligator
Advisory Council, and the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission to study and make
recommendations relative to alligator markets and populations and commercial,
recreational, and nuisance hunting in this state.
WHEREAS, in 1967 the American alligator was listed as an endangered species
under federal law; and
WHEREAS, in the 1970's the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries began
implementing conservation measures to increase the alligator population in this state; and
WHEREAS, there were under seven thousand alligator nests in coastal marsh
habitats in this state in the 1970's, but through conservation efforts that number had risen to
nearly sixty-five thousand by 2021; and
WHEREAS, the wild population of alligators has grown from less than one hundred
thousand to over two million in the last fifty years; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries must be recognized
and commended for their outstanding work to restore this species in what has been called
one of the greatest conservation stories in the United States; and
WHEREAS, today Louisiana has an estimated population of over two million wild
alligators and another one million farm-raised alligators; and
WHEREAS, by comparison, Florida has an estimated population of one million three
hundred thousand alligators, just over one third of the population in Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, the population of wild alligators in the state has recovered so well that
they are now becoming a problem; and
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WHEREAS, more nuisance alligators are being reported in residential areas than ever
before; and
WHEREAS, commercial fishermen are experiencing increasing damage to their
traps, nets, and other gear from alligators; and
WHEREAS, the conservation measures put in place many years ago to help restore
a healthy population must now be reduced in order to protect Louisiana citizens and
fishermen; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries issues a limited number of
tags each year based on the acreage of the property with which the tags are associated; and
WHEREAS, while the tags should still be issued for the purposes of the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, the department
should modify the formula used to calculate the number of tags issued for individual
properties so that many more tags can be issued for commercial hunting; and
WHEREAS, from 1999 to 2009 the state operated a bonus tag program for hunters
that inadvertently caught alligators six feet and under; and
WHEREAS, the program was suspended after several natural disasters adversely
impacted alligator nesting; and
WHEREAS, the alligator markets fluctuate due to a host of factors, however, this
industry is a critical component to the economy and culture of this state; and
WHEREAS, a market analysis of the alligator industry would provide significant
benefit in the decision-making process.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Alligator Advisory Council,
and the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission to jointly study and compile data relative to
alligator markets and populations and commercial, recreational, and nuisance hunting in this
state.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries shall
submit a written report of its findings and recommendations to the speaker of the House of
Representatives and the president of the Senate by February 1, 2024.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the chairman of the Wildlife and
Fisheries Commission, and the chairman and the program manager of the Alligator Advisory
Council.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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