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Alligator Harvest Set To Open

    The annual Florida alligator harvest is set to begin.  Beginning on August 15 and running through November 8, tag-holding hunters are allowed to harvest in areas assigned by their particular permit.
    Alligator hunting has been legal in Florida since 1988, after decades of protection that allowed the alligator population to recover from overhunting.  Today, an estimated 1.3 million alligators populate the state, a number that has remained consistent even as hunting opportunities expanded over the years.
    Permits are issued for both specific areas, and for countywide use.  Depending on permit type, harvesters may be able to hunt in most public waterways within the county of the permit.
    Alligators can grow up to 15 feet in length and weigh 1,000 pounds.  They have been known to live up to 50 years in the wild, can grow more than 2,000 teeth in their lifetime, and, while they are meat eaters mostly, have been known to eat fruit.
    Historically, the largest alligators harvested locally have resided in the St. Johns River system.  In recent years, as larger alligators have been harder to find and harvest, hunters have moved south to seek trophy 'gators at Lake Okeechobee and surrounding habitats in South Florida.
    Alligators have been known to be aggressive toward humans, and the State of Florida operates an ongoing nuisance alligator program that, in many cases, removes from the wild alligators showing aggression toward people.  So far in 2025, two alligator bites on humans have been reported in Florida, one being fatal. Alligator attacks are relatively rare in Florida, with 11 reported in 2024, 23 in 2023, 11 in 2022, 9 in 2021, and 12 in 2020.  During that period, five attacks have resulted in fatalities.
    Managing the alligator population has been a priority for the FWC, both to keep the population from overpopulating and to reduce potential threats to humans.  In 2024, 18,619 alligators were harvested, down from 19,822 in 2023.  The record year for harvest numbers came in 2006, when 23,653 alligators were harvested.  The largest alligator measured by the FWC came in at 14 feet, three and one-half inches, harvested in 2010 in Lake Washington.  
    The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission manages the annual alligator harvest.  Anyone having trouble with a nuisance alligator can call the FWC at 866-392-4286 for assistance.