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 Pages Tagged With: "fish and wildlife"

Public Hearing: Proposed Revisions to the Tidal Finfish Regulations (Tilefish)

The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife will conduct a public hearing to consider comments from the public on proposed revisions to 7 DE Admin. Code 3542 “Tilefish.”


Public Hearing: Proposed Revisions to the Tidal Finfish Regulations (Cobia)

The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife will conduct a public hearing to consider comments from the public on proposed revisions to 7 DE Admin. Code 3550 “Cobia.”


Report Atlantic Sturgeon

You can help DNREC research and manage the local population of Atlantic sturgeon, a rare and endangered fish. Simply use our reporting form to let us know of any interactions you have with this fish.


Protecting Yourself from Ticks

Ticks live in several different habitat types and can be found throughout Delaware in forests, meadows and wetlands. They are also found in yards and residential areas. Ticks are active year-round if temperatures are above freezing.


Tick Management

There are a few simple measures you can take to help keep you safe from ticks around the home. In the Yard Remove leaf litter and invasive


Ticks of Delaware

There are five species of tick commonly found in Delaware. Identifying which tick has bitten you can help you take steps to protect yourself. There are also a handful of arthropods that are sometimes mistaken for ticks.


Tick Program

DNREC’s tick program conducts year-round, statewide active and passive surveillance for ticks and tick-borne pathogens. Knowing when and where different tick species occur in the state, and whether or not they’re infected with pathogens such as the agent of Lyme disease, helps protect public health. Note: The state of Delaware does


Tick-Associated Diseases in Delaware

While Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne infection in Delaware, there are other tick-associated diseases to be aware of in case you suffer a tick bite.
Note: The state of Delaware does not provide tick pathogen testing services.
This page lists the most common


2022 AREC Photo Contest Gallery

This page contains photographs submitted for the 2022 Aquatic Resources Education Center (AREC) nature photography contest. All photos were taken in the Woodland Beach Wildlife Area. The contest was open to photographers of all ages through Sep. 29, 2022. In the Nature category, the winner was “Windy Morning Waves,” by Tracy Thompkins, of


AREC Nature Photo Contest

DNREC’s Aquatic Resources Education Center (AREC) ran a nature photography contest for several years to gather images from photographers and nature lovers of the Tony Florio Woodland Beach Wildlife Area.
2021 Contest Gallery 2022 Contest Gallery


Delaware Marina Pumpout Stations

A list of Delaware Marina Pumpout Stations for use by boaters in Delaware waters. Summit North Marina3000 Summit Harbor PlaceBear, DE 19701302-836-1800Latitude (N): 39.54790Longitude (W): -75.70270 Delaware City Marina302 Canal StreetDelaware City, DE 19706302-832-4172Latitude (N): 39.57318Longitude (W): -75.59027 Carey’s DieselFront


Horseshoe Crabs, Shorebirds and the Delaware Bay

You can witness the amazing annual convergence of spawning horseshoe crabs and migratory shorebirds along the Delaware Bayshore every spring. DNREC’s DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Harbor is one of the best places to observe this wonder of nature. The Horseshoe Crabs [column md=”6″ xclass=”col-xs-12


Mosquito Control Spraying Calendar

The DNREC Mosquito Control Section provides multiple communication channels to share information about planned mosquito control spraying in Delaware. These include the mosquito control spraying calendar (below), the online Spray Zone Map and the Spray Zone Notification System. https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=glasgowmosquito%40gmail.com&ctz=America%2FNew_York


Snow Goose Conservation Order

The Snow Goose Conservation Order is a separate season only for snow geese that occurs when Delaware’s regular waterfowl hunting seasons are closed. Liberal harvest methods are allowed during the Conservation Order to help reduce the large snow goose population that is damaging its Arctic nesting grounds, as well as wetlands and agricultural lands on


Wild Turkey Hunting

The 2027 spring wild turkey hunting season will run from April 10 through May 9, 2027. A special two-day hunt for youth and non-ambulatory hunters is set for April 3 and 5, 2027.
Wild Turkeys in Delaware [button type=”primary” block=”true”


Wild Turkeys in Delaware

The wild turkey population in Delaware is one of the greatest conservation success stories in the region. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife has reintroduced wild turkeys, once lost to Delaware. It now manages an ongoing conservation program and annual turkey hunting season.
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Eco-Explorers Virtual Field Trip Registration

This form is for teachers and homeschool groups to register for an Eco-Explorers virtual field trip with the Aquatic Resources Education Center. There is no charge for the field trip but please register if you plan to use the virtual field trip material. This will help us provide additional programs in the future.


Virtual Eco-Explorers Field Trip Program

The Aquatic Resources Education Center offers a virtual version of the Eco-Explorers field trip program. The resources of the virtual field trip are useful for students or school groups unable to attend traditional, in-person field trips and as supplementary and review material for in-person field trip participants.



Delaware Hunting Seasons

Delaware hunting seasons generally begin in September and run through early February of the following year. Specific seasons, based on species and method of take, begin and end on different dates throughout the year.
A ruling in the Delaware Superior Court has changed the requirement for direct supervision of younger


Have You Seen Me?

We are mapping sightings of Delmarva fox squirrels and you can help. Use this form to report sightings and share information about this rare species. The Delmarva fox squirrel is no longer classified as an endangered or threatened species at the federal level. But it is still rare


Sunday Hunting

State law now allows Sunday hunting for all game animals during established hunting seasons, on private lands with landowner permission, and on designated publicly owned lands. Hunting Seasons Delaware’s deer, waterfowl, furbearer, small game and gamebird seasons fall between the start of September and the end


The Delaware Bayshore Initiative

Extending from Pea Patch Island in New Castle County to the City of Lewes in Sussex County, the Delaware Bay shoreline is widely recognized as an area of global ecological significance. Its expansive coastal marshes, shoreline, agricultural lands and forests provide diverse habitat to many species, including migratory shorebirds.


Salt Marsh Field Trips

The Aquatic Resources Education Center (AREC) offers several free field trips throughout the school year. All programs listed are available to any school, homeschool co-ops or youth-affiliated groups. The only cost is for transportation to the Aquatic Resources Education Center. The bus must stay on the property the entirety of the trip. [column


DuPont Nature Center

DNREC’s DuPont Nature Center is located in the beautiful Mispillion Harbor, part of the Milford Neck Nature Preserve, where the Mispillion River and Cedar Creek meet and flow out into the Delaware Bay. It is a science-based educational and interpretive facility with interactive exhibits designed to connect people with the Delaware Bay’s natural history and


Virtual Public Hearing: Striped Bass Size Limits and Possession Limits

The Division of Fish & Wildlife will conduct a public hearing (Docket #2020-R-F-0015) on proposed revisions to the regulations governing recreational fishing for Striped Bass.


Ommelanden Hunter Education Training Center

The Ommelanden Hunter Education Training Center is one of two state shooting ranges managed by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife. It offers trap and skeet shooting, rifle and pistol shooting, archery and more.
Hours of Operation Saturday and Sunday: 9 a.m.


Plants and Plant Communities

Delaware has more than 1,600 species of native plants. More than a quarter of them are rare and can be found in more than 100 different terrestrial and wetland habitat types.
Related Documents Status Ranking Criteria Rare Plants of Delaware Native Indigenous Trees


Become a Shorebird Project Volunteer

Spring brings the shorebird migration season. DNREC’s Delaware Shorebird Project needs experienced and dedicated volunteers for the field season each spring.
The Shorebird Project Research and Monitoring Delaware Bay Ecology


Federal Funding for Fish and Wildlife

The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife uses a combination of federal funds and revenue from recreational licenses and permits to fund wildlife conservation, habitat restoration, public access, hunting, fishing and other services. Delaware receives federal funds from the Wildlife Restoration Act, the Sport Fish Restoration Act, and


Delaware Bay Ecology

The Delaware Bay is extraordinarily rich in biological resources. The beaches, mudflats, and marshes that line Delaware Bay provide abundant food and habitat for many species. The Delaware Bay Supports a variety of species. As many as 30 species of shorebirds visit the Delaware Bay in May. The majority are


Piping Plovers

Dwindling populations have landed the Piping Plovers on the federal Endangered Species List. DNREC’s Beach-Nesting Bird Program monitors these beach-nesting birds, provides habitat protection and educates the beach-going public. Piping plovers are small sand-colored shorebirds that nest and feed on the beach. They begin arriving and nesting on


Shorebird Research and Monitoring

Each May, DNREC’s Delaware Shorebird Project carries out its research objectives during the shorebirds’ stopover in the Bay. The brief field season brings long, but rewarding, days on the coast. A Tradition of Research and Partnership Each year, flocks of shorebirds are carefully


Osprey Monitoring and Management

Delaware’s osprey population is one of the state’s greatest conservation success stories. From the days of DDT and the collapse of many raptor populations, including bald eagles and peregrine falcons, osprey in Delaware have rebounded and the population continues to grow state-wide.

Contact Us




The Delaware Shorebird Project

Shorebirds are an important part of the ecology of Delaware’s shorelines. But they are under threat; populations are declining. DNREC’s Delaware Shorebird Project works to mitigate that threat, through research and monitoring, habitat protection, and management planning. The Shorebird Project team has conducted research and monitoring since 1997. They have


Do-it-Yourself Phragmites Control Tips

The Division of Fish and Wildlife offers a phragmites control cost-share program to help landowners control larger stands of phragmites. There are steps landowners can take themselves to control smaller areas of phragmites. Herbicides That Can be Used
Sources for Aquatic Glyphosate Keystone Pest Solutions 877-835-8321 Shoreline


Cost Share Program Questions and Answers

A list of frequently asked questions, and answers, about the phragmites control cost-share program offered by the Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Contact Us

James Joachimowski Impoundment/Habitat Biologist 302-725-3638
Landowner Assistance [button type=”primary”


Operation Terrapin Rescue at Port Mahon

Operation Terrapin Rescue is a volunteer program to help Diamondback terrapins move safely between the Delaware Bay and their nesting sites near Port Mahon. It also collects accurate and valuable data on the terrapins’ movements.

Contact Us

Nate Nazdrowicz Species Conservation and Research


Environmental Reviews

The Species Conservation and Research Program (SCRP) continuously updates information on rare plant and animal species and vegetation communities in Delaware. The SCRP is the state’s most comprehensive, centralized source of information on rare plants, animals, and vegetation communities.

Contact Us

Environmental


Delaware’s Endangered Species

Native wildlife species that are in danger of becoming extinct in Delaware may be listed as Endangered by the Division of Fish and Wildlife. To help prevent species from becoming endangered, Delaware currently has a Wildlife Action Plan in place for restoring and maintaining important habitats and dwindling populations of the state’s


Facts About Phragmites

Phragmites has been present in Delaware’s marshes for a long time. In fact, research shows that Phragmites (Phragmites australis) has been a part of the wetland ecosystem of North America for over 11,000 years. However, in the 1950s, Phragmites was identified as problematic in North American wetlands as a non-native European hybrid began to wreak


Do Something Wild

Volunteer with the Division of Fish and Wildlife! The Division offers a variety of volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups, part of a larger, Department-wide network of volunteer opportunities.
Aquatic Resources Education Center


Conservation Programs

The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife manages approximately 68,000 acres of Delaware land at 19 public wildlife areas that provide hunting and wildlife opportunities as well as habitat for a variety of species. The Division implements important wildlife and habitat conservation and education initiatives, like the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program and the


Delaware’s White-Tailed Deer

White-tailed deer are one of the most important wildlife species managed in Delaware. Wildlife-watchers, photographers and hunters flock to the state in pursuit of deer. They contribute millions of dollars each year to the state’s economy.
Contact Us Sam Millman Deer Biologist 302-735-3600 [button


Managed Hunts

Managed or controlled hunting is a highly organized effort to reduce the local deer population in urban areas. Hunters must apply and are selected for these hunts. Information on participating in managed hunts is available on the Master Hunter Program page. During the hunt, hunters have specified treestand locations


Chronic Wasting Disease

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) affects the brain and nervous system in members of the family Cervidae, such as deer, sika, elk or moose. Delaware has now confirmed its first case of CWD in a wild white-tailed deer. State wildlife officials are responding under Delaware’s Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan and taking


Deer Damage Assistance

Many farmers report significant damage to their crops caused by deer. By combining non-lethal techniques with targeted harvest, farmers can reduce crop damage. For summer 2026, entry requirements have been relaxed for damage assessments and deer management plans. See below for more information. Harvest of antlerless deer,


Waterfowl Surveys

Since 1974, the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife has conducted annual waterfowl surveys to measure long-term trends in duck and goose populations. The survey results help increase biologists’ knowledge about the state’s waterfowl populations and habitat and help the state make informed decisions about habitat management and hunting. [column md=”5″ xclass=”col-xs-12


Coyotes in Delaware

While Delaware’s coyote population remains relatively low, coyotes have been documented in each of the state’s three counties. Coyotes (Canis latrans) have been expanding across the continental United States since the mid-1900s and are now found in 49 of the 50 states, with only Hawaii not having a coyote population. Delaware is recognized as the


Hunting in Delaware

The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife manages 19 public wildlife areas; approximately 68,000 acres of land. In addition to providing habitat for a variety of wildlife, these lands provide hunting and other outdoor recreational opportunities. Much of this land, and many acres of private land, provide hunting during a number


Hunters with Disabilities

Delaware offers a variety of opportunities for hunters with disabilities. State wildlife areas offer specialized blinds/stands and hunting locations for hunters with varying degrees of physical disability. Facilities are provided for hunters with disabilities that confine them to a wheelchair as well as for hunters whose disabilities do





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