BELVILLE (AP) – Officials in a North Carolina town are rejecting the trend of allowing alligator hunting inside town limits.

Media sources report leaders in the Brunswick County town of Belville passed a resolution on Saturday which rejects the option to allow hunting. Commissioner Joe Breault said town commissioners came to an agreement after expressing concern that hunting female alligators could lead to a decline in the overall gator population.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission approved an N.C. Alligator Management Plan with goals of alligator conservation, education and research. The commission later established a one-month hunting season from Sept. 1 to Oct. 1. The state had outlawed alligator hunting since 1973.

Alligator hunting in North Carolina is by permit only and each permit holder is allowed only one alligator kill per season.