Evaluation of Alligator Hatchling and Egg Removal from Three Florida Lakes

The removal of 50% annual alligator production over a 6-year period on 3 central Florida lakes did not appreciably change population size structures. On Lake Jessup, increases were found in the >0.6 m size classes, while on Lake Griffin no changes were found in any size classes. Lake Apopka experienced significant (P <0.05) declines in all size classes, but these declines resulted from unexplained and unrelated mortality and reproductive failures and not from the early age-class harvest. No change in size structure was found for the control area, Lake Woodruff.