News from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
December 19, 2007
Volume 37, Number 455
Contact: Roy Miller, Fisheries, phone: (302) 739-9914 or Joanna Wilson, Public Affairs, phone: (302) 739-9902
New Delaware Fishing License Requirements Go into Effect Jan. 1, 2008
Can't wait to cut bait in 2008? Before you do, chances are you'll need a fishing license - and there are some new requirements you'll want to review first.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2008, Delaware's resident or visiting anglers ages 16 to 64 will be required to purchase a new general fishing license that covers fishing in freshwater and/or tidal waters as well as recreational clamming and crabbing. Children under the age of 16 and senior residents 65 and older are exempt from licensing provisions.
The fee for a resident fishing license remains $8.50, but other license fees have gone up for the first time since 1985. The non-resident fee will increase from $15 to $20 per year, and the seven-day tourist license will go from $5.20 to $12.50. Each of these license options entitles the holder to fish in any of Delaware's waters, as well as crabbing and clamming.
Another option for both residents and non-residents is to purchase an annual recreational boat license, which will cost $40 for vessels 20 feet long or less and $50 for vessels more than 20 feet long. This license, created in response to anglers' requests, will cover all persons fishing from the licensed vessel. Residents who purchase a Delaware boat fishing license also will be given a general Delaware fishing license - normally $8.50 - for their own use in any Delaware waters; non-residents receive only the boat license.
"The recreational boat license is a nice option for boat owners who like to take friends out for fishing trips. The friends don't have to have their own fishing licenses to enjoy a day out on the water angling," said Fisheries Administrator Roy Miller. "However, except for the resident recreational boat license holder, that coverage does not extend beyond the boat. If they want to fish elsewhere, they will need to purchase their own fishing licenses."
Boat owners who fish are not required to buy a recreational boat license. "It's an option. If they don't want or need a boat license, they can simply purchase a general fishing license for their own use," Miller added.
Other fishing license provisions include:
. Boat licenses cannot be transferred from one boat to another. License holders are issued a decal which is affixed to their boats as proof of licensing.
. A new charter boat fee, for a boat hired on a per trip basis, costs $150 annually for resident charter boat owners and $300 for non-resident owners. A head boat license, for a boat hired on a per person basis, costs
$300 annually for resident head boat owners and $600 for non-resident owners. Both the charter and head boat fishing licenses cover the license holder as well as all persons fishing from the licensed vessel.
. Residents and non-residents are exempt from fishing license requirements if they are the operator of a vehicle with a valid Delaware surf fishing vehicle permit as long as the vehicle is located on a designated Delaware State Park surf fishing area. Normal licensing provisions will apply to other occupants of that vehicle if they are fishing.
The new fees will benefit anglers, since under state and federal law, all fishing license revenue must be used for fishing related projects and cannot be diverted to other uses. "All fishing license revenue is placed in a dedicated account to be spent on research and management of fish stocks and on fishing access area maintenance and construction," Miller said.
For more on the new fishing license requirements or to obtain a license online, please visit http://www.fw.delaware.gov/Services/Licenses.htm.
Licenses are also available at the Division of Fish and Wildlife license desk in DNREC's Richardson & Robbins Building at 89 Kings Highway, Dover.
For more information, please call Fisheries at 302-739-9914, 302-739-9911 or 302-739-9918.
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This story is also available on DNREC Online at http://www.dnrec.state.de.us/d…ress/story1.asp?PRID=2756 or check the DNREC Online Home Page at http://www.dnrec.state.de.us .
