Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia
Department 391 - RULES OF GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
Chapter 391-4 - WILDLIFE RESOURCES DIVISION
Subject 391-4-11 - COMMERCIAL ALLIGATOR FARMING
Rule 391-4-11-.05 - Harvest of Alligators

(a) Alligators may be harvested and skinned only at Department approved sites and only with approval of an authorized agent of the Department. Alligator hides must be held at a specified site until the date of sale. An alligator farmer may request authorization from the Department to skin and receive hide tags for no more than his current total farm inventory of alligators.

(b) The sale of alligators or alligator products from the captive-reared or otherwise legally-obtained alligators shall not be permitted until six (6) months have elapsed from the date of the initial issuance of an alligator farming license.

(c) Any alligator killed under authority of this section shall be tagged within 24 hours with a tag furnished by the Department. Such tag shall remain attached to the alligator hide until finally processed by the fabricator. Tags removed from hides used to manufacture alligator products shall either be a) turned over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service upon product export or b) turned over to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Game and Fish Division, if the product is not exported. It shall be unlawful for any farmer or processor to possess untagged alligator hides or carcasses following the 24 hour period allowed. All alligators that die due to accident, natural causes, or reasons other than harvest shall be tagged within 24 hours or destroyed and recorded in the farm inventory records.

(d) Property rights to identifying hide tags issued to farmers shall be vested in the Department, and tags shall remain the property of the state. Unused tags will be returned to the Department within 15 days of the end of the calendar year. Possession of any alligator hide tags by persons other than licensed farmers or licensed nuisance alligator agent-trappers shall be prohibited.

(e) The meat of any alligator legally harvested or purchased from a licensed alligator agent-trapper may be consumed by the farmer or his immediate family, but shall not be sold or transferred except as provided in Rule 391-4-11-.07 below. Other alligator products may be sold subject to Rule 391-4-11-.07 also. Meat not processed and packaged for sale may be kept for personal consumption, but shall not be sold. Each package of meat so processed shall be labeled in indelible ink to indicate the hide tag number of the alligator from which it came and the alligator farm or agent-trapper's name who harvested the alligator.