Pecan Island’s Robert Guidry has been hunting alligators for more than 40 years, and in that time, he has seen the price climb to $40 a foot and then fall to about $15 a foot. Despite what the price is, when the season opens, Guidry is hunting.

The 61-year-old had 11 gators Wednesday afternoon at Vermilion Gator Farm, located in the Seventh Ward area.

Wednesday marked the opening of alligator season on the west end of the state.

“This is a good side job where I can make money,” said Guidry. “I know the price is low, but any money helps.”

The buying price for a gator that measures seven foot or above goes for $15 a foot. One of the largest gators brought to the farm on Wednesday measured just under 12 foot. The gator fetched $180 to the hunter.

A six foot alligator sold for $8 a foot.

Chad Kotch arrived at the farm with 15 alligators.

“It was a good day,” said Kotch. “About average.”

All day Wednesday, Vermilion Gator Farm was busy with hunters bringing in harvested gators.

As of around 2 p.m. Wednesday, just over 130 gators were sold to Vermilion Gator Farm.

While that sounds like a lot, the amount is cut in half compared to three or four years ago.

According to Wayne Sagrera of Vermilion Gator Farm, four years ago, the farm would have purchased 400 gators on the first day.

He said this season the farm is not purchasing as many because it is tough to move alligator hides on the world market. “We turned down a lot of gators,” said Sagrera.

Vermilion Gator Farm, which also raises alligators, purchases wild alligators and then cleans them and removes the hide. The hides are sold on the world market, which like the hunters, has been dismal.

Sagrera said if the world market prices for alligator hides do not increase over the next 18 months, the Sagrera family may be out of the alligator buying and farming business.

“Enough is enough,” Sagrera said.