DNREC to remove surf-fishing permit cap in 2023

After seeing a surge in anglers seeking a surf-fishing permit in 2022, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Division of Parks and Recreation has decided to remove the 17,000 cap on permits for the 2023 season.

What that means is anyone who wants an all-access surf-fishing permit will be able to get one. However, to control the flow of anglers on the seven Delaware State Parks beaches that allow surf-fishing, the department is instituting a reservation system for peak summer weekends. 

Division of Parks and Recreation Director Ray Bivens said the reservation system will start on the third weekend in May and will be required Saturdays, Sundays and holidays – Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Fourth of July and Labor Day – between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. through Labor Day weekend. Bivens said reservations are $4 per day and will ensure access from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Anglers will also have to watch an instructional video on surf-fishing prior to being issued a permit. Permit fees will be unchanged from 2022. 

Reservations are only available to all-access permit holders, not off-peak permit holders. Bivens said reservations will be for a specific beach location and can be made for any of Delaware’s seven surf-fishing beaches. Reservations can be made through DNREC’s website or mobile app, or through the Division of Parks and Recreation’s call center; reservations cannot be made in person.

Bivens said permits for the 2023 season will go on sale in December, but stressed that there is no rush to buy because anyone who seeks a permit will get one. The reservation system will begin the third weekend in May and will be made on a weekly first-come, first-served basis. Bivens said the reservations will only be allowed for the holder of the surf-fishing permit and are non-refundable and non-transferable. 

Bivens said anglers who purchased a two-year permit in 2022 will be subject to the new reservation system, but any anglers who want a refund for their second year will be able to get one. 

Demand for surf-fishing and the ability to drive onto state parks beaches has grown exponentially in the past decade. According to DNREC statistics, the department issued 14,792 permits in 2012. Bivens said in the past, permits would sell out within six months. As the popularity of surf-fishing grew, DNREC put a 17,000-tag cap on permits. In 2022, Bivens said, tags sold out within four hours, with anglers waiting outside DNREC offices trying to get one. At one point, 742 permits were issued per minute. 

In February, DNREC decided to reexamine its surf-fishing policy, and after months of study, officials determined that lifting the cap and instituting a reservation system was the way to go. Bivens said DNREC already uses similar systems at places like Killens Pond State Park’s water park and for the cottages at Indian River Inlet. 

“We needed to take a holistic look at how to make this better,” he said.

Joseph Smack, chairman of the state’s Parks and Recreation Council, which helped spearhead the changes, said, “The reservation system will eliminate delays and access issues when state park day-use lots reach capacity by still allowing surf-fishing permit reservation holders to access the drive-on beaches. It also allows someone with a reservation to leave and return later if they choose. Reservation systems are being utilized by many state and national park systems as a means to manage overcrowding or capacity concerns.”

Sen. Gerald Hocker, R-Ocean View, said, “Removal of the cap will eliminate the rush that has occurred in recent years while allowing everyone equal access to purchase a surf-fishing permit over a prolonged period.”

Bivens said anglers will still have the option of buying off-peak permits at a lower price than an all-access permit, and those with all-access permits will be able to surf-fish without a reservation before 8 a.m. and after 4 p.m. The reservation system will be enforced through the hiring of additional park patrol officers and by park rangers. 

DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin said, “Piloting the changes of dropping the cap requirement, implementing a reservation system for summer weekends and adding an educational component was the next logical step to better manage the program for the future.”

Delaware Mobile Surf-Fishermen Club has come out against the reservation system. 

“We voiced these concerns throughout the summer. We also shared concerns about enforcement issues and permit holder understanding and acceptance of the reservation system,” said Clark Evans, president of the Delaware Mobile Surf-Fishermen Club. “Our strenuous objection to the reservation system and many other concerns were again communicated to Parks staff at our monthly membership meeting in October 2022.”

Evans said the Delaware Mobile Surf-Fishermen Club participated in surf-fishing stakeholder meetings convened by Delaware State Parks staff this summer.

“DMS supports the removal of the cap on the number of surf tags sold each year,” Evans said. “We believe the cap created an artificial market resulting in the tags selling out progressively faster each of the last few years. This was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused many people to relocate to Delaware and subsequently desire surf fishing tags.”

Evans said a capacity-based model is the way to go.

“We believe this will lead to a more enjoyable and safer user experience,” he said. “We value the opportunity to provide input and will continue to do so as these proposed changes are further considered and implemented over the coming months.” 

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comments from the Delaware Mobile Surf-Fishermen Club.