The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) and member agencies of the Delaware River Basin Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative (Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries, collectively Co-op) today announce the implementation of the 2026 Delaware River Creel Survey.
NOAA Fisheries announces a comment period extension on a proposed rule to revise the commercial Atlantic blacknose shark and recreational Atlantic shark fisheries management measures.
What will it do?
The comment period for this proposed rule is being extended through May 29, 2026. This will provide the public additional time to understand the proposed measures and additional opportunity for public comment. A full description of the proposed management measures can be found in the proposed rule which was published on January 5, 2026. The full range of alternatives considered can be found in the draft environmental assessment. The proposed measures are summarized below.
DNREC has set Delaware’s 2026 downstate pond trout season to open Saturday, March 7 for youth anglers under age 16 only, with the regular downstate trout season for all anglers opening a half-hour before sunrise on Sunday, March 8.
Statewide harvest is 7.2% lower than the 5-year average
Maryland deer hunters harvested 71,649 deer during the combined archery, firearms, and muzzleloader seasons, from Sept. 5, 2025 through Feb. 4, 2026.
The statewide harvest reported to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources included 29,814 antlered and 37,925 antlerless white-tailed deer, and 1,874 antlered and 2,036 antlerless sika deer. The harvest was 14.9% lower than the 2024-2025 total of 84,201 deer and 7.2% lower than the previous 5-year average of 77,221.
The deer harvest fluctuates annually due to changes in hunter effort, weather conditions, availability of natural food sources such as acorns, disease outbreaks, and the population size prior to hunting season. Multiple counties in central and southern Maryland experienced an outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease during late summer and fall. This likely reduced local deer populations and may have contributed to the lower harvests in those areas. The 2025 outbreak is not expected to have long-term consequences for local deer populations.
“We thank our many stakeholders who have worked with us on the latest set of regulatory proposals,” said Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Karina Stonesifer. “Public input is essential to setting our regulations and we look forward to receiving comments to help us further refine and finalize these actions.”
NOAA Fisheries has transferred 30.8 metric tons (mt) of Atlantic bluefin tuna quota from the Reserve category to the Longline category. The resulting adjusted quotas are:
Longline category = 240.1 mt
Reserve category = 7.4 mt
Each eligible Individual Bluefin Quota (IBQ) shareholder will receive 893 lbs (0.4 mt) of IBQ. IBQ shareholders can expect for individual accounts to be updated shortly.
The adjusted Longline and Reserve quotas will remain in effect for the remainder of the 2026 fishing year or until otherwise adjusted. Note that NOAA Fisheries intends to take separate rulemaking action as soon as possible in 2026 to consider modifying the baseline Atlantic bluefin tuna quota consistent with the quota adopted at the 2025 International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas annual meeting.
Who is affected?
This action applies to Atlantic Tunas Longline category limited access permit holders.
DNREC has reopened the Indian River Bay to clamming and shellfish harvest after a mandatory 21-day closure that followed a Jan. 15 wastewater release from the town of Millsboro’s sewage system.
FISHERY: Angling Category Southern Area Trophy Bluefin Tuna (the southern area is defined as the area south of 39°18’N. lat. (off Great Egg Inlet, NJ), outside of the Gulf of America). More information on this area can be found in the Amendment 13 Compliance Guide. Please note, that the Angling category fishery for school, large school, or small medium bluefin tuna (27 to <73”) remains open in all areas except for the Gulf of America, which is designated as bluefin tuna spawning grounds and where NOAA Fisheries does not allow targeted fishing for bluefin tuna.
The Angling category bluefin tuna trophy fisheries for the Gulf of America, Southern New England, and Gulf of Maine areas remain open. CLOSED: January 13, 2026, 11:30 pm – December 31, 2026 REASON FOR CLOSURE: Based on the best available landings information, the southern area trophy subquota has been reached and exceeded.PERMITS AFFECTED: Highly Migratory Species Angling category permitted vessels and Highly Migratory Species Charter/Headboat permitted vessels fishing recreationally in the southern area (defined above). Recreational fishermen aboard vessels with an Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Angling category or Highly Migratory Species Charter/Headboat permit (while fishing recreationally) may not retain, possess, or land large medium or giant Atlantic bluefin tuna (i.e., measuring 73 inches curved fork length or greater) in the southern area from 11:30 p.m. January 13, 2026, through December 31, 2026. COMMERCIAL: Not affected by this closure. Learn More
Featuring more than 65 sponsors and exhibitors, and 75 presentations between speakers and posters, the 2026 conference put on by the DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship will provide a breadth of learning and networking opportunities. This is DNREC’s largest professional conference and is funded solely by sponsorships and nonprofit exhibitor support, as well as ticket sales.
Hunters and Wildlife Watchers Encountering Dead or Sick Wild Birds, Especially Snow Geese, are Advised to Report Location to DNREC
With the reopening this week of Delaware’s waterfowl hunting season, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control reminds hunters that safe handling of wild birds is imperative following the recent detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a sick snow goose found Dec. 8 in eastern Kent County. After returning presumptive positive for H5 avian influenza from the University of Delaware’s Allen Laboratory, the goose was sent for further testing at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory, returning a result of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza on Dec. 15.
The third and final segment of duck season opens Wednesday, Dec. 17, followed three days later by the migratory Canada goose season – and hunters are asked not only to handle waterfowl safely after harvesting them, but to fill out DNREC’s sick and injured wildlife reporting form for any affected waterfowl or other wild birds they might come across while hunting. This would include sightings of any wild birds showing uncoordinated movement and an inability to fly, which indicates they are likely in the throes of HPAI.
Avian influenza is a highly contagious airborne respiratory virus that spreads quickly among birds through nasal and eye secretions and manure. Due to close contact with thousands of other snow geese while feeding and roosting, they can get sick and die. Snow geese, which are waterfowl, migrate from the Arctic and form large flocks in Delaware each winter. It is unknown when or where these geese may have acquired the virus given their highly migratory nature and their association with other waterfowl and waterbirds throughout the Atlantic Flyway through which they travel into Delaware and more southern states.
