DNREC Helps Keep Waterways Clear of Old Crab Pots

Every year, thousands of people go crabbing for fun in the Delaware Bay. Unfortunately, whether from neglect or simple forgetfulness, not all those crab pots get picked up. Forgotten or abandoned traps can be hazards, both to boaters and to wildlife. That’s why the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has been working with partner organizations for several years to clean up derelict pots, including holding an annual event aimed at finding and removing these traps.

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From Our Bays to Your Plate: Inside Delaware’s Shellfish Aquaculture Industry

Significant progress in the shellfish industry has been made since the beginning of the 2010s, when Delaware was the only state on the Atlantic coast without shellfish aquaculture. Just a decade later, hundreds of thousands of oysters are being harvested via aquaculture and sold to restaurants and distributors right here in the state.

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White Creek and Assawoman Canal Dredging

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has completed a dredging project in the White Creek and Assawoman Canal navigation channels. The primary goal of the project was to improve safe navigability. Secondarily, dredged material was placed in degraded marshes to restore lost habitat. Project

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Delaware Inland Bay and Delaware Bay Coast Coastal Storm Risk Management Study

The Coastal Storm Risk Management Study of the Delaware Inland Bays and Delaware Bay Coast (known as the Back Bay Study) will explore potential storm risk management problems and flood risk reduction solutions. It will recommend risk reduction solutions that increase community resilience to coastal storms. Statement from

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Water Family Fest and Native Plant Sale

DNREC and the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays host an annual Water Family Fest and Native Plant Sale at the James Farm Ecological Preserve, in Ocean View. The 2025 Water Family Fest and Native Plant Sale on May 3 was a great success! A fine time was

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Inland Bays Watershed Wetland Assessment

Unique and rare wetland communities surrounding the Inland Bays include Atlantic White Cedar swamps, sea-level fens, and interdunal swales providing habitat for numerous rare plants and animals. Wetland Assessment Reports

Wetland Assessments Home

Appoquinimink

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Macroalgae in Delaware’s Inland Bays

The water quality of Delaware’s Inland Bays is very important to outdoor recreational activities available for Delawareans and visitors alike. The Assawoman, Indian River and Rehoboth Bays provide a superb venue for fishing, boating, waterskiing and other related outdoor activities. However, like so many natural resources, these areas also suffer from the negative effects of

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Inland Bays Pollution Control Strategy

The Inland Bays Pollution Control Strategy (PCS) and accompanying regulations were finalized in Nov. 2008. This strategy is designed to improve the water quality of the bays (Rehoboth Bay, Indian River Bay, and Little Assawoman Bay), as well as the rivers, streams, and ponds that drain to the bays. ADVISORY: A

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Determining Dredging Priorities

The DNREC Shoreline and Waterway Management Section uses a data-based method to prioritize statewide dredging projects in Delaware’s Inland Bays and along the Delaware Bay coast. Navigable Channels

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Waterway Management Workshops

What does it take to keep Delaware’s waterways open and safe? The DNREC Shoreline and Waterway Management Section held a series of informational open house workshops in 2019 to share information about dredging and other waterway management operations in Delaware. Shoreline and

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