Delaware

Wondering how to get your Delaware fishing license online? Plus, exemptions, surf-fishing

Published

2 years ago

April 24, 2024

Wondering how to get your Delaware fishing license online? Plus, exemptions, surf-fishing

As a coastal state filled with ponds, streams and other bodies of water, Delaware is brimming with fishing opportunities.

But before you grab your fishing vest and tackle box and head out the door, remember that you can’t just show up and set up shop without a state fishing license.

Here’s a guide to Delaware fishing licenses, including how and where to obtain one, restrictions, exemptions and more.

Delaware fishing licenses

In Delaware, a state recreational fishing license covers crabbing, clamming and recreational fishing in all First State waters, according to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.

The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife also administers permits, stamps and passes for recreational fishing and hunting, and for state wildlife areas.

Fishing licenses need to be purchased annually by recreational anglers. All proceeds from the issuance of fishing licenses contribute to a “special account for the purpose of matching and securing federal money allotted to Delaware under the provisions of the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act,” according to DNREC.

The funds support statewide conservation, management, restoration and enhancement of sportfish and the provisions for public use, which benefit from these resources.

Some of the fishing licenses, permits and stamps in Delaware include:

A Delaware Trout Stamp, which is needed for anglers fishing for trout. It costs $4.20 for residents ages 16 to 64, $2.10 for residents ages 12 to 15 and $6.20 for nonresidents ages 12 and older. Delaware residents ages 65 and older are exempt from needing a Delaware Trout Stamp.
Surf-fishing permits, which are needed to surf-fish on both peak and off-peak days in Delaware. Residents and nonresidents are exempt from fishing license requirements if they operate a vehicle with a valid Delaware surf-fishing vehicle permit and the vehicle is located on a designated Delaware State Park surf-fishing area. Surf-fishing annual passes are also available.
Head boat and charter boat licenses, which are required for vessesls hired on a per-person or per-trip basis, respectively. Both the head boat and charter boat licenses cover paying passengers, the crew and the captain only while they are fishing aboard the vessel. These are issued directly from the Division of Fish and Wildlife.

DNREC’s Fish and Wildlife Natural Resources Police requires all boating and fishing events on the water to have a permit.

Applications can be submitted online. Application submission does not guarantee event approval, and events conducted on state park land and water may require an entrance or admission fee. Activities like concessions, fundraising or other public events are not allowed without a special permit.

Surf-fishing FAQ: Delaware surf-fishing permits go on sale Tuesday. Reservations still needed for peak days

Fisherman Information Network numbers

Along with a fishing license or resident boat fishing license, each angler will automatically have a Delaware Fisherman Information Network number issued to them at no cost.

All Delaware anglers aged 16 or older are required to have an annual FIN number before fishing around the state.

If you are exempt from fishing license requirements in Delaware, you may need to apply separately for a FIN number through Digital DNREC, an online permitting system,

How can I get my Delaware fishing license?

Delaware fishing licenses can be purchased online or in person.

Digital DNREC is where recreational licenses, permits, passes and stamps can be purchased online. Fairly new, this system allows recipients to create user accounts and profiles to manage their licenses and permits.

For purchasing in person, visit the licensing desk inside DNREC’s Richardson and Robbins Building at 89 Kings Highway in Dover or an authorized license agent.

Where can I get my Delaware fishing license?

If you want to obtain your recreational license, permit pass or stamp in person, here are places in Delaware that offer this service. Each location offers fishing, hunting and Conservation Access Passes unless otherwise noted.

New Castle County

Al’s Sporting Goods, 200 North Market St., Wilmington, (302) 655-1511.
Cabela’s, 1100 Christiana Road #1410, Newark, (302) 266-2300.
Captain Bones, 3195 South Dupont Highway, (302) 378-4200.
Dick’s Sporting Goods, 100 Center Drive, Newark, (302) 738-8322 or 1000. Brandywine Parkway, Wilmington, (302) 477-9577.
Master Baiter’s, 775 South Dupont Highway, Unit 2, New Castle, (302) 834-2248.
Walmart, 705 Middletown Warwick Road, Middletown, (302) 449-1254; 117 Walton Blvd., New Castle, (302) 324-0900; or 1251 Centerville Road, Wilmington, (302) 683-9312.

Kent County

Bowers Bayside Bait, 145 Hubbard Avenue, Frederica, (302) 682-0043. This location only sells fishing licenses.
Carlisle’s Marine, 49 Artisan Drive, Smyrna, (302) 389-0100.
Dick’s Sporting Goods, 1365 North Dupont Highway, Suite 6000, Dover, (302) 678-9160.
Smith’s Bait and Tackle, 500 Denny St., Leipsic, (302) 744-9140.
Oaks Outdoors, 3544 Williamsville Road, Houston, (302) 424-2277.
Smyrna Community Hardware, 456 W. Glenwood Avenue, Smyrna, (302) 653-1144.
Smyrna Sporting Goods, 4 South Main St., Smyrna, (302) 653-7073.
Walmart, 263 Walmart Drive, Camden, (302) 698-9170; 36 Jerome Drive, Cheswold, (302) 674-2159; or 939 North Dupont Highway, Milford, (302) 422-2854.

Sussex County

Bethany Auto Parts & Marine, 13 Atlantic Avenue, Ocean View, (302) 539-0555. This location only sells fishing licenses.
Bob’s Marine Service, 3188 Roxana Road, Ocean View, (302) 539-3711. This location only sells fishing licenses.
G&E Hardware, 30244 Cedar Neck Road, Ocean View, (302) 539-1448.
H. C. Layton & Son, 406 Market Street, Bridgeville, (302) 337-8540.
Hook ‘em and Cook em’ Bait & Tackle, 39401 Inlet Road, Rehoboth, (302) 226-8220.
Hook ‘em and Cook ‘em Outfitters, Highway 1, York Beach Mall, South Bethany, (302) 539-6243.
Hopkin’s Gun Shop, 18647 Josephs Road, Milton, (302) 684-4878.
Lankford’s Gun Shop, 614 West Stein Highway, Unit 2, Seaford, (302) 536-7077.
Laurel Community Hardware, 1001 South Central Avenue, Laurel, (302) 280-6822.
Lewes Harbour Marina, 217 Anglers Road, Lewes, (302) 645-6627.
Lingo Marine, 121 Delaware Avenue, Millsboro, (302) 934-9877. This location only sells fishing licenses.
Old Inlet Bait & Tackle, 25012 Coastal Highway, Rehoboth, (302) 227-7974.
Rick’s Fishing Outdoor, 26019 Julias Lane, Long Neck, (302) 945-9245. This location only sells fishing licenses.
Rudy Marine Inc., 32606, Dupont Blvd., Dagsboro, (302) 999-8735.
Sam’s Fishing Tackle, 14260 Teattown Road, Greenwod, (302) 424-0197.
Short’s Marine, 32415 Long Neck Road, Millsboro, (302) 945-1200.
Tiderunners 3, 105 Anglers Road, Lewes, (302) 827-2533. This location only sells fishing licenses.
Vines Creek Marina & Tackle, 32213 Blue Crab Road, Dagsboro, (302) 732-6043.
Walker’s Marine, 26912 Walker Road, Seaford, (302) 629-8666.
Walmart, 4 College Park Lane, Georgetown, (302) 854-9454; 18922 Rehoboth Mall Blvd., Rehoboth, (302) 644-8014; or 22899 Sussex Highway, Seaford, (302) 628-1668.

Fishing license exemptions and exceptions

Delaware’s fishing and hunting regulations and state law provide several exemptions and exceptions to fishing and hunting licensing requirements, including:

While surf-fishing permits are not required for residents and nonresidents who are the operator of a vehicle with a valid Delaware sur fishing vehicle permit, other occupants in tow must have a resident or nonresident fishing license if they are fishing.
Seniors who are Delaware residents aged 65 years or older do not need to meet fishing license requirements. They must have proof of age and residency.
Children under 16 years old do not need to meet fishing license requirements or the FIN requirement.
Residents who own or live on a farm in Delaware containing 20 or more acres, and members of their immediate family living on the farm, may fish on that farm without a fishing license. The same applies for nonresidents who occupy farms in Delaware containing 20 acres and are engaged in the science of husbandry. Nonresidents who own but are not occupants of a farm in Delaware containing 20 or more acres, and where the science of husbandry is practiced, may fish on the land if the owner gives them written permission, or if fishing is permitted in the written lease. The same applies to their immediate family.
Anyone aged 16 and up who does not have an individual recreational fishing license and is fishing on a boat where the owner purchased a recreational boat fishing license, does not have to purchase a fishing license while fishing on board.

Other exemptions apply for the following criteria and can be obtained by calling the Division of Fish and Wildlife at (302) 739-9918:

Any Delaware resident who is legally blind.
Any Delaware resident who fishes in a fee-fishing facility, registered as such with the Department of Agriculture.
Any Delaware resident that is a patient in a rehabilitation hospital under the Department of Health and Social Services.

For more information, contact Trish Virdin, the licensing coordinator, at (302) 739-9918 or visit DNREC’s FAQ page about fishing licensing.https://dnrec.delaware.gov/fish-wildlife/licenses/fishing-license-questions/

Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys’tal Griffin at kgriffin@delawareonline.com.

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Delaware

Some Delaware lawmakers question Education Department program cuts

Published

5 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Some Delaware lawmakers question Education Department program cuts

What are journalists missing from the state of Delaware? What would you most like WHYY News to cover? Let us know.

The Delaware Department of Education has requested $2.4 billion in taxpayer funding for fiscal year 2027, a nearly 4% increase over last year. But members of the state budget writing committee expressed frustration about students’ poor academic outcomes and questioned some of the cuts Gov. Matt Meyer has recommended.

Delaware public and charter schools serve 142,495 students. Nearly 60% of that population are low-income, students with disabilities or are multilingual learners.

National test scores from 2024 show that overall student academic performance remained below prepandemic levels and the national average. Eighth-grade reading scores in the First State hit a 27-year low, leading Meyer to declare a “literacy emergency” last year.

Education Secretary Cindy Marten presented the Joint Finance Committee with a strategic plan to improve student success — the first time the department has produced such a plan in more than a decade, she said. It lays out priorities, including expanding early education, improving test scores and implementing a new hybrid school-funding formula to direct more dollars to low-income and multilingual learners.

“Everything in this proposal reflects our guiding promise,” she said. “Start with students, build for impact. Outcomes matter.”

The Education Department’s budget cuts spending for several programs. That includes slashing 80% of the Wilmington Learning Collaborative’s funding. The WLC, which was receiving $10 million a year, aims to support city students across the Christina, Brandywine and Red Clay school districts. Its budget request currently stands at $2 million, with the organization projecting that it will have an additional $1.6 million in fiscal 2026 carryover dollars.

Wilmington Mayor John Carney said he wants to review the group’s proposed fiscal 2027 budget, but with the Redding Consortium moving forward to redraw school district boundaries in northern New Castle County, the learning collaborative was more important than ever. Redding members voted in December to combine the area’s school districts into one.

“If Wilmington families are going to have a strong say, as they should, then the Wilmington Learning Collaborative needs to be part of it,” he said. “Particularly now, if we’re talking about going to essentially a county-wide school district, obviously the percentage of families that are from the city of Wilmington is lower, and so I just want to make sure that their voices are heard.”

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Delaware

Delaware education outlines boosts, program cuts – in a $2.5B budget

Published

17 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Delaware education outlines boosts, program cuts – in a .5B budget

Delaware’s Department of Education has introduced its first strategic plan in a decade, alongside a proposed $2.5 billion budget.
The plan focuses on five key areas, including early education, teacher retention, literacy and funding reform.
A major school redistricting plan for northern New Castle County is expected to be delayed until the end of the calendar year.
Wilmington Learning Collaborative is one education program facing sharp possible cuts.

Delaware’s Department of Education unveiled its first “strategic plan” in a decade on March 3, as lawmakers sifted through its roughly $2.5 billion proposed budget.

That’s about one-third of the state’s draft spending plan, up nearly 4% from last year.

Lawmakers discussed those infusions – from reading support to early education and more – alongside some $22 million in various proposed program cuts, which could include lessened support for the Wilmington Learning Collaborative.

“It’s the first plan the Delaware Department of Education has had in at least a decade,” Secretary Cindy Marten said ahead of her remarks before the Joint Finance Committee. “There’s an opportunity here. This is not another initiative that we’re just going to layer on top of one more thing and one more thing. … We’re building on the capacity that’s already here.”

The department sculpted budget requests around five “building blocks” in this plan:

Bright beginnings: Expanding early education, with aims to raise early care enrollment from 25% to 40% by September 2028.
Safe supportive schools: Boosting teacher retention rates, with a goal to raise the three-year retention rate for all early career educators from 72% to 75% by June 2028, alongside reducing chronic absenteeism and more.
Great teaching and learning: That’s boosting early literacy, improving student achievement, growing graduation rates and college/career readiness. A key benchmark here is boosting third-grade reading proficiency from 38% to 53% by 2028.
Fair opportunities for every learner: DDOE leaders seek to implement a new public education funding model by August 2027, in step with the Public Education Funding Commission.
Families and communities as partners: The department intends to launch a family and community portal that enhances transparency and connection to learning tools, support and updates.

For Delaware state test scores, average English proficiency rates across all tested third to eighth graders came in at 41% in 2025, while math reaching 34%. Pre-pandemic 2019 scores remain around 10 points higher in each bucket.

On the Nation’s Report Card, scores released in 2025 revealed eighth grade reading scores had hit a 27-year low.

“It’s been decades where we have let that fall,” said committee Vice Chair Rep. Kim Williams, as statistics joined the budget hearing backdrop. “It took us decades to get where we’re at today. It’s going to take us some time to pull ourselves out.”

Literacy and Delaware’s youngest learners

The plan should sound pretty familiar.

Delaware’s “literacy emergency” has been an ongoing call from the Meyer administration. For Marten, a fixture benchmark is that third grade reading proficiency growing from 38% to 53% by 2028.

Alongside some $97.4 million proposed for state personnel cost, the department may also see one-time infusions of $8 million to maintain support for the “Literacy Emergency Fund” and $3 million in direct-to-teacher grants to fuel literacy gains.

Meanwhile, the plan calls for all K-3 teachers to complete professional learning in the science of reading, as mandated by Senate Bill 4 back in 2022.

The secretary also called early childhood education a “first priority” after a year of plan crafting.

Roughly $8 million in one-time spending could fuel the “Delaware Early Childhood Care & Education Alliance” next fiscal year. That’s a pilot “hub” to support child care providers across the state, while also fueling an estimated 480 additional seats in the state’s Early Childhood Assistance Program, per DDOE, or state-sponsored pre-K.

By fall 2028, the department aims to grow birth-to-five enrollment overall from 25% to 40%. She hopes a hub like this can simplify and consolidate the process for providers and families alike.

DDOE’s Office of Child Care Licensing has also been working to digitize electronic record systems to elevate the office’s public database, while tracking compliance and investigating complaints across Delaware’s licensed providers. A combined $2.4 million has been pledged to make it happen, in the last two years, and the department is aiming for launch this summer.

More investment lined budget spreadsheets, and lawmaker questions, as Marten and her team echoed back to their strategic plan. The department pledged to have regular, public reporting on the goals outlined.

After all, there’s much more to come.

Foundational funding change still in the works

To get anywhere, Marten said Delaware needs funding reform.

A one-time infusion of about $2.8 million is proposed to help launch a new funding formula, including support for public communication. So far, that pales in comparison to investment eyed by the Public Education Funding Commission’s hybrid model.

That model will tweak the state’s current unit-count system, while also adding a “weighted” approach based on student needs, as should be proposed to the General Assembly later this spring.

One commission work group projected a baseline infusion of roughly $70 million just to “hold harmless.” That’s allowing Delaware to launch a new formula, without taking existing funds away from school districts.

“That doesn’t bring us near adequacy,” said Commission Chair Sen. Laura Sturgeon, back in January. One independent research report recommended an infusion from $600 million to $1 billion in total.

While that infusion remains “the gold standard,” Sturgeon said, members think they can meaningfully implement the formula with less. She said a figure closer to $200 million has been in discussion, though nothing is final.

This reform will also likely be implemented in phases, if it clears the chambers above this JFC hearing room.

The next commission meeting is at 4 p.m. on March 16, online.

What didn’t make the cut?

The Wilmington Learning Collaborative was only listed on Meyer’s proposed DDOE spending plan as an $8 million cut.

The collaborative launched in 2022 under then-Gov. John Carney with aims to correct fractured education inside the state’s largest city, combating issues like low achievement, absenteeism and teacher retention. It fused across three school districts touching Wilmington – Red Clay, Brandywine and Christina – and pushed in programming and staff positions in about nine of their city schools.

DDOE initially described the reduction as “carryover” funds, aligned with recommendations from the governor. However, collaborative leadership said it likely wouldn’t shake out that way.

“We’re projecting a little less than $2 million carryover,” Laura Burgos said, moments after her presentation to the committee. That meets an allocation of $2 million eyed for next fiscal year, according to her presentation, compared to $10 million allocations in previous funding cycles.

“That’s still a significant reduction in total,” she continued. “But we’ll have a better idea as we reconcile the budget and see how far we go with our advancement of the STEM learning labs and better understand the number of students being served over the summer months.”

Burgos highlighted these projects and more in her presentation, while she expects more specifics on the funding cut impact to come in its council meeting, March 4.

In his questioning, Sen. Darius Brown pressed that the cut could end up being more than $6 million. In response, chair Sen. Trey Paradee said his committee could have more “conversations as a group” on those cuts, before final markup.

In Red Clay Consolidated School District alone, the collaborative fuels about a dozen teachers and five paraprofessionals, as the school board discussed in its February meeting. Burgos roughly estimated that investment at about $1 million in Red Clay.

Total impact is unclear, as local districts must consider covering positions in local budgets. The same is echoed in cuts to certain block grants.

The administration proposed cuts to a $2 million grant for substitute teachers and another $2.3 million for athletic trainers. Some districts will be able to pick up the cost locally, lawmakers noted, though the department was unable to speak to overall estimates Tuesday.

Sturgeon hopes coming reform will allow districts more flexibility for such coverage.

“What we’re moving toward is a system where all those positions will be able to be grouped together and then funded based on the priorities of the individual district,” she said.

Major redistricting effort signals further delay

The Redding Consortium – a coalition charged with improving education in and around Wilmington, as well as redistricting schools in the same boundaries – caught renewed attention in late 2025, as it voted to center planning on a consolidated district in northern New Castle County.

That’s a pending plan to convert Brandywine, Christina, Colonial and Red Clay into one school district, which would serve students from Newark to Wilmington and the suburbs north and west.

But that wasn’t the sole focus on March 3.

“Redistricting planning” has reflected about 1% of the group’s allocations in the past five years. Supports in student health centers, at $27.6 million, have made up 54% of that budgeting, while full-day pre-K support has seen about $14.8 million in the Wilmington area.

The consortium’s request this year remained consistent, as Majority Whip Sen. Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman said, at about $10.2 million.

But her colleagues should not expect a redistricting plan this session.

“Having reviewed the project scope, AIR’s best estimate for us is that putting together a thoughtful plan, with robust public input, will take the remainder of the calendar year,” the consortium co-chair said. “Again, we’re committed to delivering a robust proposal – but are very aware that students are in schools of concern every day and eager to see them better served.”

Olivia Montes covers state government and community impact for Delaware Online/The News Journal. If you have a tip or a story idea, reach out to her at omontes@delawareonline.com.

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Delaware

Attention Ag Insurance Agents: Subsidy issues subject of Monday, March 9 virtual Q&A with USDA Risk Management Agency – State of Delaware News

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

The Delaware Department of Agriculture is encouraging agricultural insurance agents to attend a virtual Q&A session with the USDA Risk Management Agency on crop insurance subsidy issues on Monday, March 9 at 2 p.m.

Crop insurance is a critical component of the farm safety net, protecting farmers from weather, environmental, and economic conditions that can result in low crop yields and income concerns.

The March 9 event is an important opportunity for Delaware agriculture representatives to receive answers and guidance before the First State’s peak planting and growing season begins.

“It is critical that Delaware agricultural insurance agents have all the facts before their clients make critical crop insurance decisions,” said Secretary of Agriculture Don Clifton. “In addition, we need input from crop insurance agents on the performance of the program in 2025 and how we can pursue more improvements.”

For the 2025 crop year, 318 Delaware policies received more than $3.45 million in Risk Management Agency loss payments out of more than 1,400 active policies statewide. In total, after all subsidies, Delaware policies received $1.03 for every $1 paid in premiums.

Agricultural insurance agents should contact Michael Lewis at michael.w.lewis@delaware.gov for direct meeting links and more details.