No more standard surf-fishing permits will be available for this year after the permits sold out in less than four hours Tuesday morning, according to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
As many people rushed to the Delaware State Parks website at 10 a.m. for the release of these permits – which allow people to drive onto designated sections of Delaware State Parks beaches for fishing throughout the season – the site struggled to keep up with the traffic.
People flooded Facebook with complaints of error messages or links not showing up properly. Some people said they waited nearly two hours for the website to load. Others said they had to refresh multiple times even after snagging a tag and putting it in their carts.
Shauna McVey, community relations coordinator for Delaware State Parks, said the site saw “historic traffic” even before the sale started at 10 a.m.
“In preparation for today we tested our point-of-sale system and our vendor partner brought in additional staff to assist with increased sales volume, but the system was still overwhelmed,” McVey said.
The system processed an average of about 100 permits per minute in the first two hours of sales, she said. All standard permits were sold out by 1:35 p.m.
The standard surf-fishing permits are sold on a first-come, first-served basis and are capped at 17,000 each year.
The reason for the cap is to “manage a limited resource, protect against overcrowding of parks beaches and ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all visitors to Delaware’s award-winning state parks system,” according to the DNREC news release.
Last year, the 17,000 tags sold out in just a few months, prompting the governor to announce the release of an additional 1,000 tags. People lined up overnight to snag these special vouchers, and those extra tags were all claimed within two hours.
While people can still purchase off-peak permits for 2022, no more standard surf-fishing permits will be made available until 2023, according to DNREC.
Off-peak permits, which do not have a cap, can be used seven days a week during the offseason (Feb. 1 to May 29 and Sept. 6 through Dec. 31). From Memorial Day to Labor Day, they can be used on weekdays only, excluding Memorial Day, July Fourth and Labor Day.
The off-peak permit also allows entry into all Delaware State Parks without paying the daily entrance fee. The off-peak permit fee for Delaware residents is $70, while the fee for out-of-state residents is $140. Delaware residents age 62 and older will receive a discounted rate of $60.
Disappointed anglers who didn’t claim one of the coveted surf-fishing permits may be quick to blame out-of-staters for scooping up the tags. But Delaware State Parks reported that hasn’t been the case.
In 2021, Delaware residents accounted for 77% of surf fishing permits and 23% were held by residents of other states.
Beyond surf-fishing, the Delaware State Parks also offer annual passes, which allow visitors to access the parks for the entire fee season from March 1 to Nov. 30.
Annual passes go on sale Feb. 10, and they cost $35 for a Delaware registered vehicle and $70 for an out-of-state vehicle.
Emily Lytle covers Sussex County from the inland towns to the beaches. Got a story she should tell? Contact her at elytle@delmarvanow.com or 302-332-0370. Follow her on Twitter at @emily3lytle.
