Gator prices on rise after down year

Both the number of alligator hunters and the price of alligator skins have risen slightly since last year’s record low season.

While buying skinned alligator hides at Cypress Pride in Catahoula Thursday, Raphael Sagrera, who owns a gator farm in Abbeville, said like last year, this year’s season has started off slowly.

“We usually do more,” Sagrera said of the average number of gators per day being brought to Cypress Pride by area gator farmers. “The only reason it’s better this year is because they’re out hunting.”

Steven Gresham, who works as a skinner for Cypress Pride, said so far this season the company has skinned and cleaned between 80 and 150 hides per day, about 750 total gators.

Noel Kinler, the alligator program manager for the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, said since the season started — Aug. 25 in the area east of the Atchafalaya Basin Levee and Sept. 1 for the area west of the Atchafalaya Basin Levee — 32,000 licenses have been issued, 1,970 of those going to gator hunters and farmers in Iberia, St. Martin, St. Mary and Vermilion parishes.

Cliquez pour lire la suite dans le Daily Iberian