Although heavily exploited since the 1800s, and considered to be endangered in the early 1960s, populations of American alligators have responded well to management and have recovered rapidly. Extensive surveys of alligator populations have been done throughout the species range. Continuous monitoring of numerous localities is conducted as part of sustainable use programs in several states. In some states, near the periphery of the alligator s distribution, alligator populations are less dense and are completely protected. Sustainable management programs have been operated in Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Texas and South Carolina for more than a decade.
Management is based on a combination of farming, ranching and direct cropping of wild adults.
Farming and ranching are now being done on a large scale, particularly in Louisiana and Florida. The current stock in farms and ranches is well over 350,000 and throughout the country there are over 150 farms and ranches involved in commercial alligator production. Commercial production of skins is highly regulated with an interlocking system of permits, licences, periodic stock inventories, ranch inspections, and rigorous tagging and export permit requirements. Hunting quotas are controlled by allocating a number of tags to each licensed hunter, based on the area and quality of alligator habitat and population estimates based on nest surveys. In Florida, the program includes farming, hunting and nuisance alligator control, as well as egg and hatchling harvests for ranching.