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When will I be required to have a license to fish, crab, or clam in Delaware's tidal waters?
Jan. 1, 2008.

When will the new licenses be available to purchase?
New licenses will be available for purchase in early- to mid-December.

What are my options when purchasing licenses?
The following are options available to anglers:

• Resident annual fishing license - $8.50
• Non-resident annual fishing license - $20.00
• 7-day tourist fishing license - $12.50
  Charter boat license (vessel hired on a per trip basis) - $150 for Residents/$300 Non-Resident
• Head boat license (vessel hired on a per person basis) - $300 Resident/$600 Non- Resident
• Recreational Boat license less than 20’- $40 - Same cost for Residents and Non-Residents.
• Recreational Boat license longer than 20’- $50 - Same cost for Residents and Non-Residents.

NOTE: A license is required in all waters to fish, clam or crab.At what age do I need a license? Residents age 16 to 64 inclusive, and non-residents 16 and older, need a license.

Will I need both a boat fishing license and a general fishing license?
No, you will need one or the other not both, depending on individual circumstances. During Fish & Wildlife's public hearings/workshops on the new fishing license, anglers unanimously requested the option for a boat fishing license. Residents will receive a complimentary $8.50 general fishing license as well when they purchase a boat fishing license (only for the owner of the boat). Non-residents will receive only the boat fishing license.

If someone owns a boat, and only uses it one week a year to fish, must they buy the special boat fishing license? No one must buy a boat fishing license. This is one of two options. You may buy a boat fishing license or you may buy an individual license. It is up to each angler to make the determination that is best for him/her depending on how they fish. The boat license covers everyone on the licensed vessel while they are fishing on that vessel.

Can the owner of a boat license and his guests walk out to clam or crab from a shoreline access site without the boat?
Only a resident who owns the boat and has a boat license may walk from shore to clam or crab without using the boat. Guests would not be covered under his or her individual license. The boat license really benefits those individuals who often have guests that go with them that do not have a license. The boat license will be a decal that is affixed to the boat. 

If I have a boat license and I anchor my boat out in the Bay, may I wade and clam without further licensing as long as the boat is nearby? Can the rest of my party from the boat do the same?
Yes to both questions.

If I have a boat license and my boat is docked, can I crab from the pier?
Yes, if you are a resident, because you also have a complimentary license, but any others in your party who are crabbing are subject to licensing provisions. A non-resident boat license holder would also need a fishing license if he or she is not actually fishing from the boat that is licensed.

If two people have a surf fishing permit/vehicle license for their vehicles, can the two people go in one vehicle to fish without a special fishing permit? Also, if they take friends along to surf fish, do the friends need a special permit?
Only the operator of the vehicle that is permitted may fish without a license on the beach. Any other anglers will need to have a general $8.50 (resident) or $12.50 (tourist) or $20.00 (non-resident) license regardless of whether or not they have another vehicle permit. The exemption in the code is only for the vehicle operator who has the surf tag.

I am a resident and 65 years or older.  What are my exemptions from licensing?
You are exempt from licensing whether you are on your boat or fishing from shore. However, if you are on your boat and there are people who are not exempt from licensing, they must have licenses. Your options are to have each individual obtain a license or you may purchase a boat fishing license. You would need to purchase a boat fishing license because your age exemption does not allow you to transfer that exemption to other people.

Is my boat registration the same or does it take the place of the boat fishing license?
There is no relationship between a boat registration and a boat fishing license. The boat registration would still need to be renewed when due. 

I am a non-resident who enjoys fishing in both tidal and non-tidal areas. If I have a Delaware boat license for my big boat, will it cover me when I fish in the freshwater pond from shore?
No. The boat license only covers residents in both tidal and non-tidal areas. In this case a non-resident would be required to purchase a general fishing license or 7-day license. 

I own more than one boat.  Do I need a boat license for both, or can I transfer it from one to the other?
A boat license cannot be transferred from one boat to another. Therefore, it does not cover you if you were on someone else’s boat, and it does not cover both boats. (Clarified: April 10, 2008.)

I have a boat fishing license that I use on a boat in tidal water. Can I use the boat in non-tidal waters with the same boat fishing license?
Yes.

How many crabs and clams can I take with my recreational fishing license?
A resident may take a bushel of crabs and 100 clams. A non-resident may take a bushel of crabs and 50 clams. If a person wishes to take more than 100 clams up to and including 500 clams per day, he or she needs to purchase a Non-Commercial Clamming Permit for an additional $5.75; the Non-Commercial Clamming Permit costs $57.50 for non-residents.

If I fish exclusively in federal ocean waters outside of Delaware’s 3-mile limit, do I need a Delaware fishing license?
No, unless you drop a line on the way while inside of the 3-mile limit.

If I launch from Delaware and fish in Delaware Bay only on the New Jersey side of the Bay, do I need a Delaware fishing license?
No. However, if you return to Delaware waters by boat, any catches you made in NJ waters must still conform to Delaware possession limits (minimum size, daily harvest limits).

If I launch my boat from New Jersey and fish in the Delaware River between the upstream tip of Artificial Island and the Delaware/Pennsylvania line, do I need a Delaware fishing license?
Yes, because Delaware’s jurisdiction extends to the New Jersey low tide line between the upstream tip of Artificial Island and the DE/PA line. If you fish from shore in New Jersey, you do not need a Delaware fishing license.

Do I need a fishing license if I fish on a private pond?
The only exemption is for residents who own or live upon farms in Delaware containing 20 or more acres, and the members of their immediate families who reside on the farm. They may hunt, fish and trap on the farm without being licensed.

I have a boat registered in Delaware and I have a Maryland Boat Fishing License. Do I need a Delaware Boat Fishing License?
You need a Delaware Boat Fishing License to fish in any of Delaware’s waters. Delaware does not have reciprocity agreement with any other state at this time.

May I launch my boat in Delaware without a Delaware boat fishing license to travel to Maryland or another state to fish where I have a legal license to fish in that state?
Yes, but you cannot fish in Delaware waters along the way there.

What are the licensing requirements and exemptions for residents and non-residents for hunting and fishing?
See Title 7, Chapter 5,  Delaware Code.

Already thinking about your Delaware fishing license for next year?
If so, make sure you know what the new license covers—both fresh and/or tidal water—and who it covers: for the first time, that would be both Delaware residents and non-residents who are fishing tidal waters. And be aware of what the license costs—the same for residents ($8.50) as in years past, whether fishing fresh or tidal waters, but a higher cost for non-residents who will fish either.

With the passage of House Bill 107 into law, Delaware will require anglers in 2008 to have a fishing license for both fresh and tidal waters, while the license will also be valid for recreational crabbing and clamming. The new law also includes new fees for charter boats and head boats and an option for a recreational boat fishing license.

Frequently asked questions about the new Delaware fishing license fees

The fee for an annual resident fishing license remains $8.50. The non-resident fee will increase from $15 to $20 per year, while 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 crabbing and clamming. With licenses good for the calendar year, enforcement for the new tidal license begins Jan. 1, 2008.

“This landmark legislation marks the first fishing license increase in Delaware since 1985,” said Fisheries Administrator Roy Miller. “The much-needed revenue generated by these changes enables us to do a great many things benefiting Delaware anglers—including the immediate reinstatement of the Delaware Sport Fishing Tournament, which was reluctantly suspended due to lack of funding last year.”

The new charter boat fee, for a vessel hired on a per-trip basis, will cost $150 annually for resident charter boat owners and $300 for non-resident owners. A head boat license, for a vessel hired on a per-person basis, will cost $300 annually for residents and $600 for non-residents. Both the charter and head boat fishing licenses will cover the license holder as well as all persons fishing from the licensed vessel.

Having a boat fishing license is an option that means anyone fishing on that boat will not need a separate fishing license. Thus a boat owner can hold a boat fishing license that takes the place of a fishing license for everyone aboard his vessel. A resident who buys a boat fishing license also will be given a regular fishing license to use anywhere in the state. Non-resident holders of boat fishing licenses will need to purchase a non-resident fishing license to fish elsewhere in Delaware when not aboard their vessels. (See frequently asked questions for more information about the boat fishing license.)

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.

Children under the age of 16 and senior residents 65 and older are exempt from the new licensing provisions.

Under state and federal law, all fishing license revenue must be dedicated to the Division of Fish and Wildlife for fishing-related projects and cannot be diverted for other uses. The new law also establishes the Council on Recreational Fishing Funding, with seven voting members to be appointed by the Governor to advise the Division on expenditure of recreational fishing license funds generated. The Council, which will also have three non-voting members (two from the General Assembly and one from the Division), will meet once or twice a year.

The new licenses will be available at licensing agents statewide in December and purchased online in November. For more information or to obtain a fishing license, please call 302-739-9914, 9911, or 9918. 

Division of Fish & Wildlife  Delaware will require new fishing license for fresh and tidal water beginning Jan. 1, 2008

MARINE RECREATIONAL INFORMATION PROGRAM
 
Angler Registry Team

Congress, through the recently reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, called on NOAA Fisheries to take the lead in creating a national registry of saltwater anglers. The legislation set a January 1, 2009 deadline for the registry to take effect. (In its recommendations to NOAA Fisheries, the National Research Council also advocated for such a registry.)

The registry will help improve data collection by creating a universe of saltwater anglers—essentially a phonebook of fishermen that is updated each year. This resource will help reduce bias and improve the efficiency of catch and effort surveys. Instead of asking a random sample of coastal U.S. residents if they’ve gone fishing (what is currently done), an angler registry would allow surveyors to call upon those who have already identified themselves as saltwater fishermen.

The National Saltwater Angler Registry team is in charge of creating this "phonebook" of anglers to ensure that saltwater anglers are accurately accounted for.

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New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Division of Fish and Wildlife
www.njfishandwildlife.com

Attention Anglers
2008 NJ Recreational Minimum Size, Possession Limits & Seasons.

Click Here the New Jersey Salt Water Regulations