Blue crab Regulations in Delaware (2026)

Where

Delaware Bay and the Delaware River and that area of Roy’s Creek which lies south of Fenwick Island Ditch (bays & inshore)

Size limit

§ 2301. Minimum size. It shall be unlawful for any person to take from any waters within the jurisdiction of the State or have in his or her possession at any time any hard-shell blue crab measuring less than 5 inches from tip to tip, nor any soft-shell blue crab measuring less than 3 1 / 2 inches from tip to tip, nor any peeler blue crab measuring less than 3 inches from tip to tip. The minimum size of hard-shell blue crabs shall not apply to mature female blue crabs that are identified by having a rounded or u-shaped apron. The apron is the abdomen which is the rear portion of the blue crab that is folded underneath the body. Any commercial measure of blue crabs shall not contain more than 5% crabs that are less than the respective minimum size.

Season

(a) No person shall catch and take or attempt to catch and take crabs in any of the waters under the jurisdiction of this State with any commercial crab pot or trotline between December 1 of each year and the last day of February immediately following.

• 1.0 It shall be unlawful for any person with a valid commercial crab pot license to fish, place or cause to have placed in the waters of this State at any time more than the number of crab pots for which said person's commercial crab pot license stipulates in accordance with 7 Del.C. §2303.
• (a) of this section, the number of commercial crab pot licensees that may list the same vessel on their commercial crab pot license shall not exceed 3 and the total number of crab pots that 3 licensees may be licensed to place, use, set or tend from the same vessel shall not exceed 500 pots.
• 1.0 It shall be unlawful for any person who sets a crab pot in the tidal waters of the State to fail to tend and remove crabs from said pot at least once during every 72-hour period.
• (d) Commercial trotlines are limited to a maximum of 3 anchored long lines totaling no more than 3,600 feet.
• (e) It shall be unlawful for any person who places, uses, or sets a crab trotline to harvest crabs from the trotline by any means other than hand dip netting.
• 7 Del.C. §2303: (a) It shall be unlawful for any person to catch or land crabs for commercial purposes in this State unless said person has applied for and secured from the Department and has in said person’s possession a valid commercial crab pot or trotline license. A person cannot possess a commercial crab pot license and a trotline license at the same time. The fee for a resident commercial crab pot license shall be $28.75 for up to 50 pots; $57.50 for up to 100 pots; $86.25 for up to 150 pots; and $115 for up to 200 pots. The fee for nonresident commercial crab pot licenses shall be $287.50 for up to 50 pots; $575 for up to 100 pots; $862.50 for up to 150 pots; and $1,150 for up to 200 pots. The fee for a resident commercial trotline license shall be $57.50. The fee for a nonresident commercial trotline license shall be $575. Said license shall be valid only for commercial taking of crabs from 1 vessel owned and operated by the applicant or designees approved in the license. Designees for a holder of a resident commercial crab pot license must be residents of the State.
• (d) A commercial crab pot license may designate no more than 2 persons on said licensee’s commercial crab pot license as designees. A commercial crab pot licensee’s designees are authorized, whether in the presence of the licensee or not, to place, use, set or tend said licensee’s crab pots while operating the vessel owned by the licensee that is listed on said licensee’s commercial crab pot license. Designees shall be prohibited on a commercial crab trotline license.
• 7 Del.C. §2304: § 2304. Area permitted for commercial crabbing. It shall be unlawful for any commercial crabber to catch or take, or attempt to catch or take, for commercial purposes any hard-shell, soft-shell or peeler crabs from any waters of the rivers and bays of this State and the tributaries thereof or sell, offer for sale or buy any hard-shell crabs taken from said waters, except the Delaware Bay and the Delaware River and that area of Roy’s Creek which lies south of Fenwick Island Ditch.

Official source

Where

unleased shellfish grounds in Delaware Bay (bays & inshore)

Size limit

§ 2301. Minimum size. It shall be unlawful for any person to take from any waters within the jurisdiction of the State or have in his or her possession at any time any hard-shell blue crab measuring less than 5 inches from tip to tip, nor any soft-shell blue crab measuring less than 3 1 / 2 inches from tip to tip, nor any peeler blue crab measuring less than 3 inches from tip to tip. The minimum size of hard-shell blue crabs shall not apply to mature female blue crabs that are identified by having a rounded or u-shaped apron. The apron is the abdomen which is the rear portion of the blue crab that is folded underneath the body. Any commercial measure of blue crabs shall not contain more than 5% crabs that are less than the respective minimum size.

Season

(c) No person shall catch and take or attempt to catch and take crabs by dredge in any of the waters under the jurisdiction of this State between March 31 of each year and December 15 thence next ensuing of any year.

• (a) Dredging for blue crabs is permitted only on unleased shellfish grounds in Delaware Bay. Under no circumstances shall any person operate a dredge for the purpose of taking crabs over leased shellfish grounds, natural oyster beds, public tonging areas or other areas declared off limits to potting or dredging for crabs by the Secretary, pursuant to Chapters 19 through 25 of this title.
• (b) It shall be unlawful for any person to use any hydraulic dredge or mechanical device which employs a vacuum or suction method for the taking or catching or harvesting of crabs from any of the waters under the jurisdiction of this State without the prior written consent of the Department which may be granted for research purposes.
• 7 Del.C. §2307: § 2307. Crab dredger’s license; fees. It shall be unlawful for any person to dredge for blue crabs in this State unless said person has applied for and secured from the Department and has in his or her possession a valid crab dredger’s license. The fee for a resident crab dredger’s license shall be $57.50. The fee for a nonresident crab dredger’s license shall be $575.

Official source