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Mercury and Contaminants Monitoring

To address any concerns regarding the potential for mercury in alligator meat, FWC implemented a statewide alligator mercury and health monitoring program in 2016. The main objectives of this ongoing program are to 1) determine current mercury levels in alligator tissue from statewide alligator management units (AMUs), and 2) recommend the issuance of mercury tags or other actions on AMUs with an estimated mercury level ≥1.0 mg/kg for adult alligators. Additionally, blood samples are collected from each alligator to be archived for future alligator health research.

Alligator Health Assessments

Watch as FWRI biologists obtain tissue samples from sub-adult and adult alligators. These sampling efforts help to monitor levels of contaminants such as mercury or pesticides in the blood and muscle tissue of alligators.