Delaware Fishing Regulations: State and Federal Waters

Delaware offshore fishing runs from Indian River Inlet and Lewes to the nearshore wrecks and out to the canyons. DNREC sets Delaware fishing regulations out to 3 nautical miles and in Delaware Bay. Federal rules apply from 3 to 200 nautical miles. Check the DNREC and NOAA Fisheries pages before you fish.

Delaware Fishing Official Government Organizations

Delaware has sole management of non-migratory species in state waters. It co-manages migratory species found mainly in state waters with the other Atlantic coast states through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). Species found mainly in federal waters (3 to 200 nautical miles, the EEZ) are managed by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) with NOAA Fisheries. DNREC’s regulations page explains how DNREC divides management authority. Delaware’s territorial sea extends 3 nautical miles from shore. Delaware Bay is separated from the ocean by a line from Cape May Point, New Jersey to Cape Henlopen Point, Delaware, and Delaware’s statutory state line defines both. Rules change at every state line, as they do in other U.S. states. Delaware has no license reciprocity with other states and does not recognize federal or other states’ FIN numbers.

• DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife – Sets and enforces state-water rules. A Delaware fishing license is required at age 16 and older ($8.50 resident, $20.00 non-resident, $12.50 non-resident 7-day). Every angler 16 and older also needs a free FIN number each year, including license-exempt anglers. A charter or head boat license covers everyone fishing aboard. You can buy through Digital DNREC.
• ASMFC – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission coordinates interstate plans for migratory species such as striped bass and tautog.
• MAFMC – The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council develops federal plans for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, bluefish and tilefish.
• NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office – Implements federal-water rules off Delaware under 50 CFR part 648.
• NOAA Fisheries Atlantic HMS Management Division – Manages tunas, sharks, billfish and swordfish, and issues the HMS Angling Permit required for private vessels. You can apply for an HMS Angling Permit online.

Delaware Offshore Fishing Regulations by Species

Delaware fishing regulations sit inside the larger Mid-Atlantic bottom and pelagic fisheries. A vessel fishing federal waters for summer flounder or black sea bass follows Delaware’s measures when it lands in Delaware, as the federal summer flounder and sea bass measures explain. Fishing for or keeping striped bass in the EEZ is prohibited under the federal striped bass closure. Tunas, sharks, billfish and swordfish require the federal HMS Angling Permit on private vessels.

Sizes are total length unless a bullet says fork length. Total length runs from the tip of the snout or jaw to the farthest tip of the tail, with the tail lobes squeezed together. Inside Delaware’s 14 permitted artificial reef sites, finfish may be taken only by hook and line or spear. In-season changes are posted as DNREC Secretary’s Orders. Check the agency link under each species before you fish.