re: Is the Increasing Popularity of Alligator Gar Fishing threatening the resource?

Definitely on decline, and I don't think it is solely due to fishing. Lack of education on the importance of gar, and the falsity of age old beliefs about the negative impact they have on game fish populations has just as much to do with it. Just look at this thread.

There is no GOOD reason to kill a gar, unless it be for food. They do not destroy game fish populations. In fact, the majority of their diet is composed of nongame fish, small native sunfishes that we do not typically consider game fish, frogs, lizards, etc.

The irrational fear of gar is another reason. People used to (and probably still do) tell stories about gar dragging children into the water, or attacking and eating people.

It's a sad state of affairs, and a lot of it, unfortunately, was due to false information promoted by game and fish agencies. And LDWF isn't doing any better now in educating people on the periles the species faces if bowfishing and senseless killing continues.

Bowfishing of alligator gars (or gars in general) should be outlawed (or severely limited), simply for the fact that you cannot release that fish. It is dead. And when it's one of those giants, a major dent has been put in the population.

There was surprise about an alligator gar being caught for the first time in maybe a century in Illinois...and it was arrowed. It's a real shame.