August 10, 2012

Vitter Helps Increase Alligator Hunting Tags Near Henderson, La.

Alligator overpopulation is disrupting fishing industry in area

(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Sen. David Vitter today announced that the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will issue more alligator hunting tags in the Henderson area to help with overpopulation. The overpopulation of alligators has disrupted the local fishing industry as alligators have been destroying fishing traps to eat the bait.

“Henderson is one of Louisiana’s prized fishing areas and it’s important to keep it that way,” Vitter said. “There’s a simple solution to help get rid of the alligator overpopulation disrupting the fishing community and I’m very pleased that the Corps and the LDWF worked with us to issue more hunting tags.”

During Sen. Vitter’s town hall meeting in St. Martin Parish on July 5, 2012, Henderson Mayor Sherbin Collette explained the problem that the fishermen were experiencing. Vitter immediately requested the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assess the situation. They found that overpopulation was indeed a problem on some of the Corps’ lands and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries initially agreed to increase the number of alligator tags on Corps’ land for the 2013 (September) hunting season.

Vitter then requested that they expedite the process and increase the number for 2012 to address the problem immediately. The LDWF and Corps have agreed to issue more tags to the contract hunter who was selected to hunt alligator on the Corps’ Bayou Des Ourses property for next month, September 2012.

Vitter also said that the Corps will likely include their Indian Bayou lands in the state’s lottery hunt during 2013 hunting season. There have been an increased number of applicants from 600 to 2800 since the popularity of the television show “Swamp People.”