Louisiana alligator farmers say California’s proposed ban on the sale of alligator goods would negatively affect businesses from the bayous to Beverly Hills, the Daily Advertiser reports.
In December, California approved a law to ban the sale of alligator goods, which those within the alligator industry believe will have serious implications for Louisiana moving forward if it stands up to legal dispute, as California is responsible for 30% of the alligator retail market. Meanwhile, biologists believe the law—though intended to conserve the alligator population—could also harm Louisiana’s fragile wetlands, which the alligator industry helps support.
The alligator hide industry generates at least $50 million a year, much of which comes from Louisiana and a significant amount of which is tanned, dyed, finished and sold to clients in California. Both parties tell the Daily Advertiser they have already felt the financial strain of the law before it’s even gone into effect.
The law is temporarily delayed after the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office and Department of Wildlife and Fisheries filed suit. A federal hearing in April will determine if it is allowed to stand. Read the full story.
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