High demand resulted in 17,000 standard Delaware surf-fishing permits selling out in four hours last week. The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control caps the number of tags, which are sold first-come, first-served, at 17,000 to manage a limited resource and prevent overcrowding on park beaches. Were you successful in getting a tag? What should the state consider doing differently when selling the tags?
- Surf tags should be offered to the previous year recipients first. My two-year tag ran out, and I missed the renewal, didn’t even know it was happening until I saw the article in the paper. A certain number could be allowed on the beach at a time, as is done in Assateague, because even with 17,000 tags, they could never be on the beach at the same time. — Lynn Widdowson
- For the last 10 years, I have purchased a surf-fishing license for my son as a birthday gift. This year, however, is a different story. The website would let me get as far as ordering a tag but then simply would come up with a 503 error code, stating to go back and keep trying. I did this throughout the day, only to have the website respond that all tags had been issued. They did say they offered a tag that could be used Monday-Friday but did not include weekends or holidays, with the exception of off-season. This tag is only $10 less than the standard surf-fishing license, which gives full access. Here is what could be done differently: Have no cap at all. All Delaware State Parks currently close entrance into the beaches when parking gets full. They have a policy of one car in and one car out for the remainder of the day. No need for a cap. For all Delawareans that had surf-fishing licenses last year, they could have asked them if they wanted to renew them first, then offer tags to people out of state on a different day. — Cheryl Precourt
- Why doesn’t Delaware use the same technique that Assateague Island National Park in Maryland uses to control access to their fishing beach — an electronic gate? It allows access for only 145 vehicles at one time — and no more. They sell an UNLIMITED number of over-the-sand (OSV) passes, so it’s basically “first come, first served” for beach access if you get there early. The proceeds from the sales of more passes would more than cover the cost of gate installations. — Ron
