Seining involves a long narrow net cast into the water followed by pulling the net in to see what kind of marine life was caught (and then released during the “Life in the Bay” seining program at DNREC’s Aquatic Resources Education Center near Smyrna). /DNREC photo

New Outdoor Program Upcoming in August at Aquatic Resources Education Center

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control invites families to participate in a new educational program called “Life in the Bay” geared toward children age 6 and older, as well as adults who want to learn about fish and other aquatic creatures that live in the Delaware Bay.

Staff from DNREC’s Aquatic Resources Education Center (AREC) managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife will be on hand to seine for aquatic creatures along the edge of the Delaware Bay and help participants discover and learn about aquatic life found there.

Program participants will observe AREC staff as they use a seine net to capture aquatic life along the shoreline. Later, participants will have an opportunity to view the catch and assist staff in releasing what has been caught by seining. Closed toed shoes are a must for participating in “Life in the Bay.” All other equipment will be provided by staff.

Seining programs are scheduled next month for:

• Wednesday, Aug. 9, 5 to 6:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, Aug. 16, 10:30 a.m. to noon.

To ensure enough supplies are on hand for these free programs, pre-registration is required. To pre-register for the program, visit the DNREC events calendar, de.gov/dnrecmeetings. To learn more about AREC or the program, visit de.gov/arec.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 68,000 acres of public land owned or managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram,  Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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The salt marsh boardwalk at DNREC’s Aquatic Resources Education Center near Smyrna will host ecological tours Saturday, April 22 in recognition of Earth Day/DNREC photo

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control invites the public to celebrate Earth Day 2023 by touring a tidal salt marsh and discovering one of the most amazing ecosystems on earth. DNREC’s Aquatic Resources Education Center will host a special “Marsh Madness” program highlighting the tidal salt marsh at the Tony Florio Woodland Beach Wildlife Area near Smyrna, Del. on Saturday, April 22, from 10 a.m. until noon.

Educators from the Aquatic Resources Education Center, managed by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, will lead tours for an up-close view of the tidal salt marsh and aquatic life found there. The salt marsh connects to the Delaware Bay through a network of tidal streams where visitors can watch fiddler crabs on the banks during low tide and sometimes see egrets, herons and other species on the marsh.

Participants are encouraged to dress for the weather and to bring drinking water, sunscreen and insect repellent.

For more information or directions to Aquatic Resources Education Center, visit the DNREC events calendar.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 68,000 acres of public land owned or managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram,  Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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The new Delaware Reef guide is available on the DNREC website at de.gov/artificialreefs and also can be obtained in hard copy through the DNREC Fisheries Section by going to the link above and filling out a request form. /DNREC photo

The new 2023-2024 Delaware Reef Guide covering Delaware’s artificial fishing reefs in the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean is now available. Published by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the updated guide includes artificial reef program history and the value of the reef program to the coastal economy, along with individual reef site descriptions, reef material deployments, reef coordinates and maps, and a quick reference guide to fishing hot spots. The guide’s maps were created with the assistance of the Delaware Department of Technology and Information.

Delaware’s increasingly popular Artificial Reef Program was initiated by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife in 1995 to sustain important marine fisheries, increase recreational fishing opportunities and expand tourism. Delaware has 14 federally-permitted artificial reef sites in the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean, with 12 sites having had artificial reef materials deployed consisting of clean, durable and stable natural rock; construction materials; boats and subway cars to create new habitat for a variety of marine organisms to include recreationally important structure-oriented fish species.

Materials added to the artificial reefs over the last five years since the previous reef guide was published have included approximately 2 million tons of rock removed from the Delaware River navigational channel, more than 13,000 tons of concrete and several large retired marine fishing vessels, transport ferries and military ships. Video of recent sinkings are available on the DNREC YouTube channel.

The Delaware Artificial Reef Program and Delaware Reef Guide are funded by federal Sport Fish Restoration funds generated from anglers purchasing fishing equipment and administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, supported by Delaware fishing license revenues.

Additional Reef Guide information is available at de.gov/artificialreefs, where the reef guide can be downloaded as a pdf. Printed copies of the Delaware Reef Guide limited to one per household can be requested while supplies last through the Artificial Reef Guide Request Form link located at the webpage above or can be obtained at the DNREC Fisheries Section Little Creek office at 3002 Bayside Drive, Dover, Del. Future updates and new information on artificial reef material deployments can be obtained by emailing a request to DNRECFfisheries@delaware.gov.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 68,000 acres of public land owned or managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram,  Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contact: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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Having recently completed the Murderkill emergency dredging project which deepened and widened the river channel as depicted above (with marine dredge seen in background), the DNREC Shoreline and Waterway Management Section now turns to smaller truck-haul beach nourishment projects at Pickering Beach and other Kent County locations. The Shoreline and Waterway Management Section also will work on an upcoming nourishment project in partnership with the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation at Delaware Seashore State Park. DNREC photo.

Pickering Beach in Kent County to Receive Sand Over Next Month,
With Other Bay Beach Communities Set for Sand Reinforcement Ahead

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is set to continue beach nourishment along the Delaware Bay when the DNREC Shoreline and Waterway Management Section begins a month-long project Monday, Oct. 17 at Pickering Beach in Kent County that will bring some 3,500 cubic yards of sand trucked in from local sources to cover 2,500 feet of community beachfront.

The Pickering Beach nourishment project and others in Delaware Bay communities to be undertaken this year by DNREC are funded in large part by the American Rescue Plan. Funds totaling $1.3M will be used by the Shoreline and Waterway Management Section for deploying small nourishment projects along the Bay beaches to include Pickering Beach, Kitts Hummock, and Cape Shores, in addition to Atlantic Ocean nourishment work at Delaware Seashore State Park’s North Inlet Day Use Area. Work this fall and into winter is expected to lengthen the beach and dune life of a DNREC project that spanned five Bay beach communities and was completed last winter.

“Money from the American Rescue Plan enables us to continue performing these small-scale nourishment efforts both to further fortify some of the more vulnerable sections of Bay beach shoreline and to reinforce the work we’ve recently done in these communities,” said Jesse Hayden, DNREC Shoreline and Waterway Section administrator.

While DNREC’s beach nourishment projects introduce sand into the shoreline system to offset the effects of erosion, the Pickering Beach and Kitts Hummock projects aim more to strengthen – and lengthen – the life of the projects completed last winter in the same communities. “Coastal storms will continue to impact our coast, so having the opportunity to supplement some of the most vulnerable areas even after all of the work we did last year means we will be better prepared for the next storm,” said Hayden.

Because both the Delaware Bay and Atlantic beaches and dunes also provide crucial habitat for migrating shorebirds, including several threatened species, and other wildlife such as spawning horseshoe crabs, DNREC beach nourishment projects ordinarily are not permitted to begin until Oct. 1 each year, and must be completed by April 15 at most beaches, or by March 1 at others. The Bay beach nourishment projects beginning this month are expected to be completed far ahead of those 2023 deadlines.

Delivery of material by DNREC’s sand vendor Pennsy Supply will begin in Pickering Beach on the project start date listed above, while delivery from ML Joseph Sand and Gravel to the Delaware Seashore State Park project site is expected to begin by early November. Construction at Pickering Beach is planned for four weeks, weather-dependent, and with work occurring during DNREC standard business hours Monday through Thursday. The beach will be closed during construction activity but will be open Friday through Sunday for the duration of the project. Visitors should anticipate partial closures of the beach at Delaware Seashore State Park’s North Inlet Day Use Area while heavy equipment is on site during standard business hours Monday through Thursday.

More information about the work of the DNREC Shoreline and Waterway Management Section can be found at de.gov/shoreline. More information on beach nourishment in Delaware is available from Outdoor Delaware magazine, de.gov/outdoordelaware.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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Horseshoe crabs line the shore spawning along the Delaware Bay. DNREC’s DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Harbor is one of the best places to observe this wonder of nature. DNREC photo

Horseshoe Crab Management Effectively Supports Red Knot Population

While this year’s spring shorebird migration has ended in Delaware, with the shorebirds embarking for their Arctic nesting grounds fueled for their journey after consuming abundant horseshoe crab eggs, the horseshoe crabs continue to spawn along the shores of Delaware Bay. The annual spring phenomenon of nature features the ecological relationship between migrating shorebirds that feast on horseshoe crab eggs to help sustain their long-distance migration from their wintering grounds as far away as southern South America to their nesting grounds in the Arctic – a one-way trip that can span more than 9,000 miles for some shorebird species.

Shorebirds more than double their body weight during their brief stopover each spring along Delaware Bay, feasting on the abundant supply of horseshoe crab eggs from an increasing horseshoe crab population managed under the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) framework. The ARM framework is an ecosystem-based approach that uses the best-available science to manage the Delaware Bay horseshoe crab population to ensure enough eggs to support the migratory red knot population during their annual spring stopover. Under ARM management, the Delaware Bay horseshoe crab population has steadily increased over the last decade to an estimated 31.3 million crabs, comprising 21.9 million males and 9.4 million females. More information on the ASMFC ARM can be found at asmfc.org.

Delaware allows a limited harvest of 162,136 only male horseshoe crabs – representing less than 1% of the scientifically-estimated total Delaware Bay horseshoe crab population, with the harvested crabs used as bait for Delaware’s commercial conch fishery. Horseshoe crab harvest in the state is not allowed until June 8 after migrating shorebirds have left to avoid disturbing the birds during their stopover. Delaware does not have a horseshoe crab biomedical collection fishery that exists in other states, including New Jersey.

The red knot is listed as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act and as an endangered species by the State of Delaware. The estimated red knot population that stops and feeds each spring along Delaware Bay has remained steady over the previous 10 years, at approximately 40,000 to 50,000 birds annually as reported in the Red Knot Stopover Population Estimate for 2021 produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife and the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.

The USGS stopover population estimate is based on extensive, scientific red knot surveys. Numerous factors affect the red knot population in addition to horseshoe crab egg availability, including habitat loss, human disturbance, predator dynamics and climate change at wintering, migration and nesting areas. More information on shorebird research and monitoring, including the U.S. Geological Survey red knot stopover population report, is available at https://de.gov/shorebirds.

The DuPont Nature Center managed by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife located near Slaughter Beach provides great views from the center’s large deck overlooking the Mispillion Harbor of a variety of wildlife, including seasonally spawning horseshoe crabs and migrating shorebirds, including the red knot. More information is available from the DuPont Nature Center at de.gov/dnc, where the center’s Mispillion Harbor Cam can be accessed for live views of wildlife visiting the area.

For more information on horseshoe crabs, contact the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Fisheries section at 302-739-9914. For more information on shorebirds, including red knot, contact the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Wildlife section at 302-739-9912.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities, and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 68,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov