Louisiana DWF Confirms Alligator Harvest Season Opening Sept. 1 in East Zone, Sept. 5 in West Zone

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries 08.30.12

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has confirmed the Saturday, Sept. 1 east zone opening of the 2012 Wild Alligator Harvest Season and the Wednesday, Sept. 5 west zone opening.

Due to storm impacts created by Hurricane Isaac, hunters in some areas may not be able to harvest alligators until floodwaters recede and power is restored. Prior to beginning any harvest effort, alligator hunters are advised to verify that their selected buyer will be open to buy harvested alligators. Hunters should also use extreme caution when returning to flooded wetland areas to harvest alligators.

For a zone map and complete list of parishes within the east and west zones go to: http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/wildlife/alligator-hunting .

For more information on alligator season, contact Noel Kinler at 337-373-0032 or nkinler@wlf.la.gov.

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries – Enforcement Division(LDWF) is the fish & game regulatory agency of Louisiana. It has jurisdictionanywhere in the state, and in state territorial waters. The agency enforces both state and federal laws dealing with hunting, fishing, and boating safety. The agency also enforces criminal laws in rural areas including DWI enforcement both on highways and waterways. Most of the Department’s Wildlife Agents also carry Federal law enforcement commissions issued from the United States Department of the Interior - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and United States Department of Commerce - U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). These federal commissions allow these state officers to enforce federal migratory waterfowl laws and federal marine fisheries laws in state and federal waters off the coast of Louisiana. Besides their traditional role as a “game warden”, Louisiana Wildlife Enforcement Agents also have a number of other responsibilities, including conducting board of health inspections on some portions of the state’s commercial fishing industry. Agents are trained in and conduct numerous search and rescue operations, both in remote land areas and on the state’s waterways. Agents ensure that hunters, anglers, boaters, dealers, breeders, farmers, and transporters are in compliance with regulations governing equipment, quotas, licenses, and registrations. Agents also assist other State departments and law enforcement agencies in the coordination of educational and professional endeavors, as well as national and state emergency alerts by the Federal Office of Emergency Preparedness. In addition, agents perform search and rescue missions alone or in conjunction with other local, state, and federal agencies.