SPANISH FORT, Ala. - The thousands of alligators that call the Mobile River Delta home better watch their hides this weekend, as nearly 125 boats take to the water with the goal of harvesting one of the animals. The 2011 alligator hunting season runs for just two weekends through Aug. 22.

Chuck Sharp, a wildlife biologist with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division, will be among the state officials monitoring the hunt.

“Most people report anywhere from 30-100 alligator sightings before they find the one they want to take,” Sharp said. “This isn’t a hunt to control the population so much as it is an opportunity to give licensed hunters the chance to take a unique animal whose population has recovered from where it was in the past.”

“We received more than 6,000 applications for the 300 licenses that we issued statewide,” Sharp said. The licenses were awarded by lottery in May, and all hunters are held to strict regulatory guidelines and safety standards. All alligators harvested during the 2011 hunt must be secured next to a boat before being dispatched. Harvested animals must be at least six feet long and everyone aboard each boat must be a licensed hunter with the state.

Alligators harvested from the delta must be checked in at Five Rivers Delta Resource Center in Spanish Fort. There are opportunities to spectate, but Sharpe said most hunters don’t bring in their catch until after 11 p.m. For more information about the 2011 alligator hunting season, visit www.outdooralabama.com.