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FWC to hear draft alligator management
proposals
May 11, 2007
Contact: Harry Dutton (850) 410-0656, ext. 17279
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission’s (FWC) Alligator Management Team will present new
draft proposals to the agency’s seven commissioners at their
June 13-14 meeting in Melbourne.
The Commission will not be voting on the
proposals at this meeting but is expected to provide feedback
and direction to FWC staff, so any proposals requiring rule
changes could proceed and be voted on at a future date.
The first of the proposals would create a
statewide recreational harvest permit to replace the old
countywide permits. Excluding established harvest units and
properties enrolled in the Private Lands Alligator Management
Program, this statewide permit would allow the holder to hunt
alligators in any of the state’s public and private water
bodies, as long as there was legal access. The exception would
be water bodies within incorporated municipalities.
The use of small-caliber handguns (.32 caliber
or smaller) also would be allowed during alligator hunts but
only for dispatching alligators once they were attached to a
restraining line and brought alongside a boat.
Another proposal would create more homeowner
options in dealing with alligators less than 4 feet long. In
emergency situations where homeowners might find such smaller
alligators in their swimming pools or carports, they would have
the choice of capturing and euthanizing the reptile themselves
or paying a licensed nuisance wildlife trapper to remove it.
In either case, the homeowner first would be
required to contact the FWC’s nuisance alligator hotline
(866-FWC-GATOR) for authorization.
If a homeowner decided to euthanize the
alligator, it may not be removed from the property and must be
disposed of on the property. If a nuisance wildlife trapper was
used, the trapper would be required to relocate the alligator to
an area specified by the FWC.
FWC staff drew up these proposals after
completing a comprehensive review of its Alligator Management
Program and soliciting input from the public and stakeholders
who have a strong interest in the way the state’s alligators are
managed.
During the past seven months, the Alligator
Management Team conducted a Web-based survey and hosted a series
of 14 public meetings throughout the state to gather input and
valuable feedback used in drafting the set of proposals.
"The proposals are consistent with our program’s
established goals and objectives and offer more flexibility in
how we can manage alligators,” FWC Alligator Management Program
coordinator Harry Dutton said.
For more information on these alligator
management draft proposals, visit
MyFWC.com/gators. |
