DOVER, Del. - After record interest in Delaware Surf Fishing Permits last year, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced Wednesday that it will be testing several changes for the permit program for the 2023 season.
One of the biggest changes will be the elimination of a cap on the number of permits sold annually, which has been in effect since 2019. The DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation will replace the cap for next year with a technology-based reservation system for managing capacity on summer weekends, when the state’s surf fishing beaches are in highest demand.
For more information and a full list of changes, click here.
Last spring, the Division of Parks and Recreation initiated a comprehensive review of the program in response to unprecedented permit sales for the 2022 season – including the opening day for sales, when the online permitting system was temporarily overwhelmed and surf fishing permits sold out in just a few hours. The historic sales volume peaked at 742 permits being issued per minute, with the sales cap of 17,000 permits reached in under four hours.
DNREC’s review of the program looked nationally at best practices and other states’ models for viable solutions to improve the sales process, delivery of permits, compliance with surf fishing regulations, enforcement and public safety – all with a goal of providing access to surf fishing on state park multi-use beaches while protecting the natural resource.
DNREC’s surf fishing permit program review and evaluation also included gathering data and information about the existing surf fishing program from staff and permit-holders, and researching best practices to identify potential strategies. The Division of Parks and Recreation sent surveys to more than 30,000 current and previous surf fishing permit holders, and received more than 7,000 responses.
The recommendations were presented and endorsed by the Parks and Recreation Council in August 2022. The council was formed in 1968 with the purpose of advising the director of parks and recreation concerning matters related to the planning, acquisition, development, management, conservation, and programming of lands and services under the jurisdiction of the Division.
The surf fishing permit fee remains unchanged for 2023 and sales are anticipated to start in December.