Full document / COSOC-W-86-002 - the National Sea Grant Library

788
and Woodward, 1980). Also Increased public acceptance of alligators
may also be a factor.
Conclusions
Differences in land ownership dictated the development of the
varying harvest techniques used in Louisiana and Florida. Night
harvest techniques wero initiated primarily for uso in the Florida
nuisance alligator control program but were later used In the
commercial harvest program. Night hunting allows for minimal public
contact, which can be vary advantageous in nuisanco alligator control.
Night hunting (without firearms) also allows for more flexibility in
choosing the size of the alligator taken. This flexibility is an
advantage not only in capturing the specific nuisance alligators, but
also in achieving proportional, commercial harvest, size ratios. On
the negative side, night harvesting is more time consuming and
difficult to regulate, making this technique less efficient when
dealing with large numbers of alligators.
Daylight harvest techniques (shooting and fishing) were developed
primarily for use in the Louisiana coosorcial harvest and were also
used in the nuisance alligator program. Daylight harvesting (with
firearms) is more efficient In rural areas, where animals aro less
wary; also, it Increases the harvest of smaller animals and makes the
resultant size ratios in the kill more proportional to that of the
population. Fishing with baited hooks Is biased toward larger animals.
Nuisance alligator programs depend on minimal public contact and
yet good efficiency in ridding the area of the problem animals. Night
hunting Is more selective and secretive and is, therefore, more
suitable for controlling most nuisance animals. Yet, when complaint
numbers peak in the early summer (Linscombe, 1976; Hord, 1981), fishing
with set hooks could bo more effective for meeting the higher demand.
However, fishing is effective only in areas where the public will not
tamper with lines and at a time of the year that alligators will accept
baits.
Commercial alligator harvests need to be both efficient and yet
proportional to meet compensatory replacement requirements. Fishing
combined with daytime shooting is more efficient than night hunting,
but alone does not meet proportional size ratios in the kill. Correct
size ratios could be achieved by either initiating a short spring
season or by supplementing the daylight techniques with some night
harvesting techniques.
Literature Cited
Chabreck, R. H. 1963. Methods of capturing, narking, and sexlng
alligators. Proc. Southeast Assoc. Game and Fish Coma. 17:47-50.
Chabreck, R. H. 1966. Mothods of determining tho sizo and composition
of alligator populations in Louisiana. Proc. Southeast Assoc.
Game and Fish Comm. 20i105-112.
Chabreck, R. H. 1971. Management of the American alligator.
Crocodllos, IUCN Supplementary Paper No. 32, Horgos. 1:137-144.
Dodson, P. 197S. Functional and ecological significance of relative
growth in alligators. J. Zool. 175:315-335.