Louisiana WFC Adopts NOI to Change Effective Dates of Alligator Hunting Licenses

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries 04.08.13

The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission approved a notice of intent on April 4 to change the effective dates of state alligator hunting licenses.

As proposed by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ (LDWF) Alligator Management Program, the current effective dates of July 1 through June 30 would change to Jan. 1 through Dec. 31.

The change would align alligator hunting license dates with dates for issuance of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) alligator harvest tags. Historically, the alligator tag year has started with the opening of the annual wild alligator hunting season in September. The change is recommended to minimize confusion and organize harvest data reporting by calendar year.

If finally approved, LDWF in coordination with the US Fish and Wildlife Service would implement the change for Jan. 2014, when the effective license year and tag year would coincide.

Public comment on this proposal will be accepted through May 20, 2013 and should be submitted in writing to Robert Love, Coastal and Nongame Resources Division, P.O. Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA 70898-9000. To view the full notice, please visit http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/action-items.

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.