Public Hearing Set on Proposed Fish Measurement Regulation

DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife will hold a virtual public hearing on Wednesday, March 25 at 6 p.m. to gather input on a proposed regulation that would standardize how fish length is measured for Delaware fisheries. Officials say the change would ensure consistency across regulations and help the state remain in compliance with Atlantic striped bass management requirements. Public comments will be accepted through April 9th. The web link to the virtual hearing can be accessed through the DNREC Public Hearings site at https://de.gov/dnrechearings.

Additional Information from DNREC:

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Division of Fish and Wildlife will conduct a public hearing on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, beginning at 6 p.m. to consider comments from the public on the proposed 7 DE Admin. Code 3560 Total Length (Docket #2025-R-F-0025).

The proposed regulation 7 DE Admin. Code 3560 Total Length will provide a detailed definition of total fish length. This action will allow DNREC to enforce a standardized total length measure for fisheries regulations that use total length to define legal minimum and/or maximum fish length. Although this action is required for Delaware to remain in compliance with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Fisheries Management Plan, the Division of Fish and Wildlife is opting to create a standalone regulation for total length that will apply to all tidal finfish species regulations that use total length as the legal measure of fish length, not solely to striped bass.

The proposed amendments may be inspected online starting March 1, 2026 at http://regulations.delaware.gov/services/current_issue.shtml or in-person, by appointment only, by contacting responsible staff John Clark by phone at 302-739-9914  or by email at John.Clark@delaware.gov.

The web link to the virtual hearing can be accessed through the DNREC Public Hearings site at https://de.gov/dnrechearings . If prompted, use Meeting ID: 827 9244 2257 Passcode: 515819. To access the audio-only portion of the virtual hearing, dial 1-646-931-3860 and enter the Meeting ID and Passcode noted above. Closed captioning is available in over 20 languages, including English and Spanish, via the Zoom platform utilized for all DNREC Public Hearings.

Those wishing to offer verbal comments during DNREC public hearings must pre-register no later than noon on the date of the virtual hearing at de.gov/dnreccomments or by contacting the Office of Administrative Services by telephone at 302-739-9001. Language assistance is available by request within 10 business days of the hearing.

The Department will accept public comments through the close of business on April 9, 2026.  Comments will be accepted in written form via email to DNRECHearingComments@delaware.gov, or by using the online form at https://de.gov/dnreccomments, or by U.S. mail to the following address:

Theresa Smith, Hearing Officer

DNREC – Office of the Secretary

89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901