FLORIDA — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will announce on Monday the application dates for alligator hunting permits in 2016.
Florida's statewide hunt has been nationally and internationally recognized as a model program for the sustainable use of natural resources, according to the FWC.
Alligator management units are given harvest quotas to provide recreational opportunities for residents and non-residents who are at least 18 years old. Applicants can take up to two alligators per permit.
Those awarded a permit must pay for two CITES tags and an alligator trapping license, or provide proof of a license before the end of the harvest season. A Florida hunting license is not required, FWC officials said.
According to FWC reports in 2014, nearly 12,000 CITES tags were issued and 7,406 alligators were harvested. Harvested gators ranged in length from 1 feet 3 inches to 13 feet 4 inches.
Nearly 80 percent of harvested alligators were male, but the gender of more than 2,500 gators was unknown, reports showed.
The 2015 season ended on Nov. 1.
Cox Media Group
