Overview

During the past 4 decades, production of farmed American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) for their hides and their meat expanded significantly, even as it shifted to fewer and larger operations.  In 1972 a total of 35 farmed skins were sold in Louisiana, compared to an all-time high of 305,176 in 2007.

Louisiana and Florida continue to dominate the industry. The 2011 value of farmed alligator production in Louisiana was estimated at $38.5 million, up from $28.7 million in 2010 ( LSU AgCenter 2012). Meanwhile, the net sales of alligator hides and meat in Florida fell from a high of almost $7 million in 2008 to $2.6 million in 2010. . . April 2012 ... Alligator

 Marketing

• American Alligator, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

 Production

• Alligators of Georgia and South Carolina, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia 
• Alligator Production, Southern Regional Aquaculture Center, Texas A&M University.
• American Alligator, National Geographic
• Annual Commercial Landing Statistics, Fisheries Statistics, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
• Aquaculture Resources, Alternative Farming Systems Information Center, National Ag Library, USDA.
• The Cajun Connection: How the U.S. Alligator Gets to Italy, FASonline, USDA, 2004.
• Census of Aquaculture (2005), USDA, 2006.
• Florida Alligator Farming, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
• Louisiana Alligator Industry Information, Louisiana Fur and Alligator Advisory Council.
• Louisiana Alligator Regulations, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
• Louisiana Summary, Agricultural and Natural Resources, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, 2011.
• Outlook for Louisiana Agriculture, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, 2010.

Links checked April 2012.