ENN FULL STORY
Florida Alligator Comeback May Ease Hunting Rules

November 02, 2006 — By Michael Peltier, Reuters
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The once-endangered alligator has made such a phenomenal comeback in Florida that state wildlife officials are considering making it fair game once again.

Once hunted to dangerously low levels and displaced by urban development, the "gator" population in the state is now estimated at 1 million, or one alligator for every 18 Florida residents

Increasing numbers of gators and people make increasing encounters more likely. At least two people died in alligator attacks this year. Before that, there had only been 18 fatal alligator attacks in Florida since 1948.

The population boom is prompting state wildlife officials to reconsider hunting restrictions that continued to protect the species after the American alligator came off the federal endangered list in 1987.

In December, the state government will be asked to approve proposed changes to extend the annual hunting season, currently around two-and-a-half months, and increase hunting limits.

The proposed new rules would also allow Florida property owners to take matters into their own hands if a rogue gator comes calling, and kill the reptile.

Now they must file a request to get rid of the creatures and hire professional help. The changes, if approved, could be in place within 18 months, according to the proposal.

Longer term, wildlife officials say they are considering taking the primordial predator off a state list of protected species, further reducing protections for an evolutionary survivalist that has barely changed in 65 million years.

Harry Dutton, coordinator of alligator management for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, cautioned that the proposed rules would not result in an immediate open season on a creature coveted by chefs and shoemakers.

Instead, it represents the first comprehensive review of Florida's alligator policy in 20 years.

"We're in part one of a many part process," Dutton said.

Under current rules, alligator farmers can cull 4,000 alligators from their stocks per year.

Professional trappers catch about 8,000 more that threaten people, pets or livestock. Hunters who are awarded a permit to bag up to two alligators each take about 8,000 more.

Source: Reuters

They have come back very strong and they seem to be getting more agressive or it may be because the human population here is also growing and water ways get a little crowded. We definitely need to thin them out a little since they are populating rapidly.

Looks like they are taking about 20000 a year out of a million animals. They could most likely take a 50 to 60 thousand a year with out trouble. Or more 10 percent would be 100 thousand not a very large take from a million animal population.