DELAWARE - The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has revised the State’s recreational striped bass size limit requirements.
The move comes shortly after Maryland revised the size requirements, with both states citing compliance with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) as the reason for the changes. ASMFC declared a need for emergency regulations earlier this month.
Delaware’s new size limit for striped bass moves the size slot of 28 to 35 inches to a smaller slot of 28 to 31 inches.
The new limit aims to reduce harvest of the 2015-year striped bass population, allowing for the opportunity for more fish from the successful 2015 class to spawn. This emergency regulation will not affect Delaware’s summer striped bass slot season, which allows anglers to possess one striped bass 20 to 25 inches long daily from July 1 through August 31.
The new size limit can be found in the online version of the 2023 Delaware Fishing Guide. More information about the revised regulation can be obtained by calling the DNREC Fisheries Section at 739-9914.