using pelt values of $4.50/muskrat and $6.00/nutria. 

 The highest returns of nearly $ 1 million each per basin 

 for muskrat and nutria pelts came from Mermentau 

 and Sabine (table 3.17). 



Alligator : Closely controlled aOigator harvests 

 have been conducted in the Louisiana portion of the 

 Chenier Plain since 1972. In 1976, the total revenue 

 from this industry was about $0.5 milHon (table 3.18). 



Commercial estuarine-dependent fishery : The 

 commercial fishery includes the estuarine-dependent 

 marine and brackish water fishery, shellfishery, and 

 the freshwater fishery. 



Commercial catches of estuarine-dependent spe- 

 cies for the northern Gulf coast are recorded by major 

 inshore estuarine lake or bay or by offshore grid zone 

 [National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) 1976]. 

 Many locally knowledgeable fishery biologists beheve 

 that only a fraction of the landings for species other 

 than Gulf menhaden are actually recorded by NMFS 

 statistics. However, these statistics are the only con- 

 sistent landing records available. The bulk of the har- 

 vest occurs offshore, but part of the life of the com- 

 mercially important species is spent in the inland 

 marshes and estuaries. That is, each species must be 

 able to enter marshes, estuaries, and offshore waters 

 at appropriate stages of its life cycle (part 4.0). Fur- 

 thermore, the commercial species move alongshore, 



Table 3.17. Estimated value^ of the muskrat and nutria fur industry for each basin. 



Table 3.18. Value of alligators harvested from the Louisiana portion of the 

 Chenier Plain for 1972 through 1976. 



Palmisano et al. 1973. 



Joanen et al. 1974. 



Included farm-raised animals. 



Louisiana Wildlife Fish Commission News Release, New Orleans, La., 19 October 1976. 



41 



