Louisiana is filing suit against a California law banning transactions involving alligator products. The law was passed in sixty years ago with implementation in 2020. When the law was passed, the alligator population was not doing well, but Attorney General Jeff Landry says the sale of alligator products in recent decades has funded effective conservation efforts.
In 1962 the Louisiana alligator season was closed due to decling population numbers. Five years after Louisiana closed the alligator harvest season, the alligator was listed on the federal Endangered Species Act in 1967. In 1971 a new statewide alligator plan focusing on conservation went into effect.
Louisiana now has more alligators than registered voters. Since its days on the endangered species list the alligator has made a comback. The alligator population in Louisiana is now surpassed 2 million with over 300,000 gators are being grown on louisiana farms.
Landry says he’s not sure if Californians are unaware of the booming population or if they just don’t care.
He says he has given a heads up of the oncoming lawsuit to California’s AG. The Attorney General says California is turning a blind eye to a sucessful conservation program.
Harvesting gator skin and meat is a nearly 60 million dollar industry. California makes up 30 percent of the world’s alligator market.
A large alligator farm in West Monroe produces millions of dollars of alligator products each year.
