DOVER – A new Delaware law that increases size limits and decreases recreational possession limits on American eel is now in effect, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announced today.

The new law, passed by the Delaware General Assembly in January and signed by Governor Markell last week, brings Delaware’s American eel fishing rules into compliance with recent changes in the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American eel.

The law increases the minimum recreational and commercial size limit of American eel to 9 inches from 6 inches, decreases the recreational possession limit from 50 to 25 American eels and sets a minimum mesh size requirement of ½” by ½” for all eel pots in commercial and recreational use.

The law also gives DNREC the ability to change American eel size and possession limits, fishing areas, seasons and allowable fishing gear by regulation as required to keep Delaware in compliance with future changes to the ASMFC’s American eel management plan. If the ASMFC plan requires states to restrict their eel harvest by use of a quota in the future, the Legislature will establish a quota management system through law.

For more information on current American eel fishing requirements, see the updated 2016 Delaware Fishing Guide for recreational requirements or click http://de.gov/commregs for commercial requirements. The guide also is available in printed form – which does not include the new American eel fishing rules – at DNREC’s Dover licensing desk in the Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, and from license agents throughout the state.

For more information on Delaware’s American eel fishery, please contact DNREC’s Fisheries Section at 302-739-9914.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 40

DOVER (Feb. 12, 2016) – A DNREC YouTube Channel video premiering this week shows there was a little drama on the high seas before the latest addition to Delaware’s artificial reef system could go below the Atlantic Ocean to occupy a new berth as marine habitat.

The video shows how Shearwater, a 180-foot-long former coastal freighter and military survey ship turned menhaden boat, was sunk by DNREC last December – but not before the ship insisted on navigating its own course to the bottom. “We wanted the ship to settle upright on the sea floor, (making it) more attractive to reef divers,” Jeff Tinsman, DNREC environmental scientist who leads the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s artificial reef program, says in the video. “We made considerable effort to flood the three interior compartments in advance, thinking that would reduce the tendency of the ship to roll over on the surface before sinking.”

But Shearwater had other ideas, as the video shows the ship listing to port, then capsizing with eight feet of her bow remaining above the surface – before reef contractors cut holes in the hull, allowing air to escape and onrushing water finally to flood Shearwater and send her down stern-first in 120 feet of water and onto the Del-Jersey-Land artificial reef some 26 miles off Lewes.

The ship “came to rest on her side, from what we can tell at this time,” Tinsman said, “and while upright would’ve made her more appealing for divers, the fish don’t really care one way or the other” how Shearwater’s positioned – artificial reefs (including ships and smaller vessels such as tugs, not to mention the 1,300-plus former New York City subway cars that help comprise Delaware’s system) have been proven to be up to 400 times richer as marine habitat than bare ocean bottom.

Media Contact: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 39

Scientific data used to develop Ocean Action Plan will be presented

DEWEY BEACH – DNREC’s Delaware Coastal Programs is hosting the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO) forum on scientific data that will be used to develop an Ocean Action Plan (OAP) for the region. The forum will be held 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Jan. 29 at the Hyatt Place, 1301 Coastal Highway in Dewey Beach. The public and stakeholders are invited to attend.

“Many important activities take place off the coast of Delaware. We need to ensure there is enough space for today’s important activities such as maritime transportation, fishing, beach nourishment projects, national security needs and recreation, as well as space for future activities such as renewable energy – all while keeping our ocean healthy,” said Sarah W. Cooksey, administrator of Delaware Coastal Programs.

Delaware is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO). Established in 2009 by the Governors of Delaware, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, and Virginia, MARCO provides a forum for the coastal Mid-Atlantic states to collaborate on shared regional priorities related to marine habitats, renewable offshore energy, climate change adaptation, and ocean water quality.

MARCO has supported three projects that will help guide the decisions and actions for the Ocean Action Plan (OAP). The projects and data to be presented include Marine Ecological Data (MDAT), Human Use Data (HUDs) and the Regional Ocean Assessment (ROA). The MDAT team analyzed available ecological spatial data to highlight ecologically rich areas; the HUDs team developed a multiuse overlay to display human-use intensity spatially over the ocean region; and the ROA team developed written content that parallels the research data and will debut an interactive web platform for information display. The culmination of research, coordination and planning through these contracted projects will develop the content of the Mid-Atlantic OAP.

An agenda for the forum can be found on the MARCO website. After each presentation there will be a brief question and answer period. With space limited for the forum, attendees are required to register by Jan. 21, and may do so at: http://midatlanticocean.org/event/public-workshop-on-ocean-planning-data-products/

President Obama’s National Ocean Policy mandated that each U.S. ocean and coastal region develop a plan to guide ocean use, manage resources, and utilize the principles of marine spatial planning for increased coordination across all levels of government. In the Mid-Atlantic region the plan is referred to as the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Action Plan (OAP). The plan is being developed by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Body (state, federal, tribal, and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council partners) with the support of MARCO. Additional information about the Regional Planning Body may be found at http://www.boem.gov/Mid-Atlantic-Regional-Planning-Body/.

The OAP supports management coordination and research of two main goals – healthy ocean ecosystems and sustainable ocean uses. The objective of the healthy ocean ecosystem goal is to promote ocean ecosystem health, functionality, and integrity through conservation, protection, enhancement, and restoration. Sustainable ocean uses requires planning and providing for existing and emerging ocean uses in a sustainable manner that minimizes conflicts, improves effectiveness and regulatory predictability, and supports economic growth.

Media Contacts: Sarah W. Cooksey, Delaware Coastal Programs, 302-739-9283; John Clark, Division of Fish and Wildlife, 302-739-9914; or Melanie Rapp, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 6

DOVER – An amended Delaware tilefish regulation that reduces recreational and commercial harvest of the blueline and golden tilefish, species that have grown in fishing popularity in recent years, will take effect Jan. 11, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announced today. Blueline and golden tilefish in combination will carry a recreational limit of seven fish per person per day aboard a vessel, with a commercial harvest combination limit of 300 pounds of tilefish per day.

A recent stock assessment indicated that blueline tilefish are overfished and that overfishing is continuing. In response, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) requested member states to consider adopting incidental commercial trip limits and recreational bag limits for blueline tilefish similar to current Virginia and Maryland state regulations. Consistent with this request and with further input from Delaware’s Advisory Council on Tidal Finfisheries, Delaware adopted an amended regulation to conserve two species of tilefish – blueline and golden – that are most commonly landed in Delaware waters.

In addition, a federal emergency action requires commercial and party/charter vessels going out for blueline and golden tilefish hold a valid open access golden tilefish permit to land either species of tilefish.

“Blueline and golden tilefish are ocean-dwelling, deep-water species susceptible to exploitation due to their long-lived, sedentary nature,” said Fisheries Administrator John Clark. “To prevent an unmanaged expansion of Delaware’s tilefish fishery before more detailed data becomes available, we are joining our neighboring states in adopting these limits to conserve these species.”

The Secretary’s Order on the amended regulation for tilefish can be found on DNREC’s website. For more information on Delaware’s fishing regulations, call the Fisheries Section at 302-739-9914 or visit www.dnrec.delaware.gov/fw/Fisheries.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 4

DOVER – Residents of Bayshore communities and other interested parties are invited to attend a DNREC public meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2 at the Carlisle Fire Company, 615 Front NW Front Street, Milford, DE 19963, to hear the results of a new engineering evaluation studying drainage issues along Delaware’s central Bayshore area. The meeting will be hosted by DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship, Drainage Section, and State Senator Gary Simpson (R-18th District, Milford) chair of the Delaware Bay Beach Work Group.

The Delaware Bay Beach Work Group was formed for the purpose of examining beach erosion, marsh drainage, flooding and related issues in the Bayshore communities of Pickering Beach, Kitts Hummock, South Bowers Beach, Slaughter Beach, Prime Hook Beach, Broadkill Beach and Lewes Beach, and making recommendations for a path forward to deal with these issues.

Work group members included state legislators representing these communities, DNREC shoreline and waterway staff and other local, state and federal officials. Their recommendations included the engineering evaluation, for which DNREC contracted with AECOM/URS Corporation, a national research and engineering firm with local offices in Delaware and Maryland.

The Delaware Bay Beaches Coastal Drainage Engineering Evaluation incorporated comments from residents at public meetings held in each community, documentation and investigation of issues and proposed solutions. Those attending the meeting will hear details about the evaluation, along with drainage design work and construction projects under consideration, and will have the opportunity for public comment.

For more information, visit http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/swc/shoreline/pages/delawarebaybeachworkgroup.aspx.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 45, No. 413