The Nation - News from June 21, 1988

Applications for licenses to hunt alligators became available in Florida for the first time since 1962 when officials outlawed the sport because the animal’s numbers were dwindling. Dennis David, alligator program coordinator for the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, said the department will make 15,000 applications available. The maximum number of licenses to be awarded will be determined at the commission’s July 15 meeting. David said the alligator-hunting season would be restricted to specific areas, and hunters will have a limit of 15 alligators measuring at least 4 feet long. David said the alligator population in Florida has doubled since 1973 to about 1 million. A 4-year-old girl was killed by an alligator in southwest Florida this month.