“Surf fishermen” win Delaware beach access clash
A coalition of 14 communities pooled their resources to hire Tim Willard, a Georgetown attorney, and lobbyist, Joe Conaway to press for some reasonable sounding limits on beach truck traffic. The communities lost.
The coalition asked the state to create “no parking” or “pedestrian only” zones in 100-yard-wide swaths of beach adjacent to 10 crossover boardwalks. It outlined its concerns in a Feb. 7 letter to Gov. John Carney and Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary David Small.
Last week, the head of the Delaware State Parks system, which manages the two parks, rejected the group’s request for relief.
“We’ve always seen those beaches as multi-use beaches,” Ray Bivens said in an interview. “It’s first-come, first serve. We just ask people to respect each other.”
Surf fishing advocates described the decision as a victory for public beach access.
Those people with their fish hooks and tailgating are a pain in the ase
The pretend fishing is out of control. (I say that as a reformed pretend fisherman.)
The residence of those communities should be glad they even have a walkover to the beach. They pay the state a nominal fee of like $100 a year for over the dune access.
In other words, it’s not their beach, it never has been.
Perhaps if us poor unwashed masses were allowed to park in these gated communities and use the beach access, there would be a more compelling argument. Rich a-holes vs. drunk ‘fishermen’. Nobody wins.
Agreed. It is a lose/lose.
Get facts right; state upped access fee for community crossovers. Now $200 + $70 per home in community. Surf fishing beach permit is $35. Not exactly equal. Issue isn’t just trucks parking in front of communities. Too much speeding on beaches by faux fisherman; too much dumping of excrement in dunes because of no place to go. Not great situation when kids in water have to contend with untended fishing gear. Perhaps DNREC should scale back number of surf fishing permits because current unlimited number is not sustainable. Maybe state needs more general public places on beach like Fenwick Island state park area and the one near the inlet, with concessions and toilet facilities. Only going to get worse; no good solutions but better enforcement of surf fishing rules would help.
Facts, indeed. Surf fishing beach permit is $80, instate. It’s $35, in state, for a park pass be allowed to drive into the parks and not on the beach.
State Parks just finished the NorthSide Inlet project. The state has also been considering A Fenwick expansion/improvement and a bath house at Naval Jetty/Herring Point. They are also looking for other public access locations.
The parks should do a better job of enforcement. It’s hard to know which is less; their interest in enforcement or budget to do it.
They could also put dumpsters back in the f-ing parks. They were removed under Ruth Ann’s Governorship as a cost cutting measure.
They recently enacted a rule to only allow single file parking to reduce vehicles parking 2-4+ cars deep in an effort to reduce crowds.
The people that petitioned to have ‘their’ beach closed off to vehicles should get a park permit for their $70 so they can go use the locations that are pedestrian exclusive like the rest of us.
We are headed for eventually limiting the number of vehicles on a given beach at a given time, much like Assateague.
“We are headed for eventually limiting the number of vehicles on a given beach at a given time, much like Assateague.”
That makes perfect sense. Also, the price for beach access should be market-based. Sell 10,000, 12-month surf passes at auction ever year. If you want the luxury to drive your beer cooler onto the beach, you should have to pay for it.
They have one portable toilet at Cape Henlopen at the new yuge Gordon Pond trial parking lot. The number one grossing state park has gross piles of human excrement piling out of the single toilet. It’s truly embarrassing. Dumpsters are critical. Trash is everywhere in Sussex County
Assateague is 26 miles long and they limit. Too many people, they’re killing the Goose. Unbridled approvals of generic beige high density treeless plastic house developments.
I adore driving on with our friends a few times a summer to swim and barbeque. My Fenwick crew throw some great parties there. These days are highlights of my season, but that photo says it all. The beach shouldn’t be bumper to bumper.
I’m with Jason. The pretend fishing was fun, but something needs to be done.
They need to push the tailgating trucks back off the jetty at Herring Point. This is one of the few good surfing/sandbar wave jumping spots on the DE coast
Certainly something needs done. As a tourist who visits only sporadically but thoroughly enjoys himself, I’ll follow whatever rules the locals see fit.
Although when my daughter was young, it sure was easier to drive the truck over the dune and pretend to surf fish than carrying her back and forth over the dune with each one arm load of stuff. I mostly bike to the beaches now and often visit several a day. I like to park at Tower Road and bike up the Rehoboth boards for a fruit smoothie at Green Man then up the Gordon Pond trail to Herring Point for a swim and souvenir collecting before lunch and a juice at Nectar in Lewes.
Can we just have someone actually measure their trout and flounder?
Proposed rule change: You can eat only what you catch.
I could go for a fried flounder sandwich on a toasted kaiser with LTMO