SpearfishingMap

Jamaica

Americas · Caribbean

Recreational spearfishing is legal in Jamaica but heavily restricted. A valid fishing licence/registration from the National Fisheries Authority is required (the Fisheries Act, 2018 mandates licences for recreational fishing). Spearfishing with impaling devices (spearguns, Hawaiian slings) is prohibited at night, between 6:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. Mechanical spearguns were officially phased out from 31 March 2010 (government-funded replacement with Hawaiian slings) and night diving for spearfishing was banned from the same date; a special permit is required for compressors and other mechanical underwater-breathing devices used for fishing. All fishing, including spearfishing, is prohibited inside designated Special Fishery Conservation Areas (fish sanctuaries) and marine parks (e.g. Montego Bay Marine Park) except under licence/permission. Closed seasons apply to spiny lobster (Apr 1 – Jun 30) and queen conch (declared annually). Spearfishing is widely cited as the single greatest threat to Jamaica's marine biodiversity.

Restricted
Confiança en les dadesConfiança mitjana

Última actualització Abril 22, 2026

Marc normatiu aplicable

  • §The Fisheries Act, 2018 (No. 18 of 2018)
  • §The Fishing Industry Act, 1975 (largely repealed/replaced by the 2018 Act)
  • §The Fishing Industry (Special Fishery Conservation Area) Regulations, 2012
  • §The Fisheries (Spiny Lobster) Regulations and amendments (2009, 2014, 2020, 2021, 2026)
  • §The Fisheries (Conservation of Queen Conch) (Family Strombidae) Regulations, 2023
Llicència obligatòria
Obligatori
Fusell
Permès

La llei, literalment

Textos legals

Les disposicions legals i reglamentàries exactes que regulen la pesca submarina aquí, citades tal com es publiquen, amb un enllaç a cada font oficial.

01Regulation 4(1)Jamaica · national

Fishing prohibited in Special Fishery Conservation Areas except under licence

The Fishing Industry (Special Fishery Conservation Area) Regulations, 2012

ENOriginal

No person shall fish in a special fishery conservation area except in accordance with a license issued by the Licensing Authority.

02Amendment provision on impaling devicesJamaica · national

Ban on use of impaling devices (speargun, Hawaiian sling) at night

Fishing Industry Act amendment (2011) / Fishing Industry Regulations

ENOriginal

A person shall not, between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. use for the purpose of harvesting fish, any impaling device - including Hawaiian sling, speargun or any other impaling device.

Quan podeu bussejar

Temporades i restriccions horàries

Períodes tancats, oberts i restringits al llarg de l'any. Confirmeu sempre localment els tancaments per espècie.

Gen
Feb
Mar
Abr
Mai
Jun
Jul
Ago
Set
Oct
Nov
Des
TancatRestringitObert
  • TancatSpiny lobster (Panulirus argus) - all species of spiny lobsterAbr 1 – Jun 30

    Annual closed season for spiny lobster. Fishing for any species of spiny lobster during the closed season is illegal; possession without special permission is also illegal during this period.

    jis.gov.jm
  • TancatQueen conch (Strombus / Aliger gigas, Family Strombidae)Ago 30 – Feb 28

    Annual queen conch closed season (dates as cited for the 2023 regulations; declared/varied annually by the National Fisheries Authority). During the closed season it is illegal to possess, sell, process or trade any conch products or by-products, under the Fisheries (Conservation of Queen Conch) (Family Strombidae) Regulations, 2023.

    jis.gov.jm

Permís per pescar

Llicència

Què necessiteu per poder estar a l'aigua, quant costa i com obtenir-ho.

Llicència obligatòriaa través de National Fisheries Authority (NFA), Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining

Apply and register online via the National Fisheries Authority IrieFINS online licensing and registration system, or contact the NFA directly. The Fisheries Act, 2018 requires licences for recreational fishing; persons fishing without a valid licence are liable to penalties.

Obteniu la vostra llicència

Obre el portal oficial · fisheries.gov.jm

Llicència obligatòria
Tipus
Fishing licence / fisher registration (recreational fishing licence under the Fisheries Act, 2018; spearfishers must hold a valid fishing licence)
Cost
unknown
Validesa
Renewed annually
Com obtenir-la
Apply and register online via the National Fisheries Authority IrieFINS online licensing and registration system, or contact the NFA directly. The Fisheries Act, 2018 requires licences for recreational fishing; persons fishing without a valid licence are liable to penalties.
Autoritat
National Fisheries Authority (NFA), Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining
Portal oficial de llicències · fisheries.gov.jm

Equip i tècnica

Normes d'equipament

Quin equip és permès, com s'ha d'utilitzar i les condicions aplicables.

FusellPermès

Restriccions

  • Impaling devices (speargun, Hawaiian sling or any other impaling device) may not be used to harvest fish between 6:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. (night spearfishing ban).
  • Mechanical spearguns were officially phased out from 31 March 2010, with a government programme replacing them with Hawaiian slings.
  • Night diving for spearfishing was banned effective 31 March 2010.
  • A special permit is required for compressors and other mechanical devices used for underwater-breathing purposes for fishing (effective 31 March 2010).
  • Zero tolerance for fishing with dynamite, bleach or other toxic substances.

Spearfishing remains legal by day under licence using permitted gear (notably Hawaiian slings). The legal status of mechanical/band spearguns is restrictive: the government ran a buy-back/replacement programme favouring Hawaiian slings, and night use of any impaling device is prohibited.

Què podeu capturar

Límits de captures i espècies protegides

Quotes diàries, mides mínimes i espècies que mai no es poden capturar.

Límit diari

unknown

Espècies protegides — no capturar

  • ProtegitSpiny lobster (closed season Apr 1 - Jun 30; minimum size and no berried/egg-bearing females under lobster regulations)
  • ProtegitQueen conch (Family Strombidae - annual closed season; possession/sale/processing restricted)
  • ProtegitMarine turtles and corals are protected under wildlife/environmental law

Parrotfish are heavily advocated for protection and are key reef grazers, but as of the cited reporting they are not nationally banned. Targeting lobster or conch out of season, or undersized, is illegal regardless of method.

Qui pot pescar

Visitants i residents

Com difereixen les normes per als visitants estrangers i els residents locals.

Visitants estrangers

Requisits

  • Same licensing/registration framework applies; a valid fishing licence from the National Fisheries Authority is required to spearfish.
  • Permission/letter required to fish within marine parks such as Montego Bay Marine Park.

Restriccions

  • All national restrictions apply equally: no night spearfishing with impaling devices, no fishing in Special Fishery Conservation Areas/marine parks without a licence, closed seasons for lobster and conch.

No specific foreigner/tourist spearfishing regime was confirmed in authoritative sources. Tourists are generally expected to fish via licensed charters and are barred from sanctuaries and marine parks; independent confirmation from the NFA is recommended before spearfishing as a visitor.

Residents

Fishing licence / fisher registration (recreational or commercial) via the National Fisheries Authority

Requisits

  • Register as a fisher and licence the vessel (commercial or recreational) with the Fisheries Division / NFA.
  • Hold a valid annually-renewed fishing licence to spearfish.

The Fisheries Act, 2018 exempts persons fishing from a pond on private property and persons using a fishing line from the seashore from licensing - this exemption does not cover spearfishing.

On a la costa

Zones permeses i prohibides

Àrees nominades obertes o tancades per a la pesca submarina. Veieu el panorama complet al mapa interactiu.

Àrees prohibides

Veure al mapa

Condicions a l'aigua

Condicions en directe

Instantània marina i meteorològica en directe prop d'un punt de referència costaner de Jamaica, de Open-Meteo. Les condicions varien al llarg de la costa — tracteu-ho com a indicatiu.

Marina i meteorologia en directe prop de Bluefields Bay Special Fishery Conservation Area.

Condicions

A qui preguntar

Autoritats

Els organismes oficials responsables de la pesca i les llicències.

  • National Fisheries Authority (NFA)

    fisheries authority

    fisheries.gov.jm+1 876 948 9014; fisheries@nfa.gov.jm

  • Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining

    government ministry

    new.moa.gov.jm

  • Maritime Authority of Jamaica

    maritime authority

    jeijamaica.gov.jm

D'on prové aquesta informació

Fonts

Cada afirmació d'aquesta pàgina es remunta a una d'aquestes referències.

  1. [01]

    The Fisheries Act, 2018 (No. 18 of 2018) - full text PDF (scanned)

    Oficial
    fisheries.gov.jmConsultat el Jun 14
  2. [02]

    The Fishing Industry (Special Fishery Conservation Area) Regulations, 2012 - Jamaica Trade Information Portal

    Oficial
    jamaicatradeportal.gov.jmConsultat el Jun 14
  3. [03]

    Legislation - National Fisheries Authority

    Oficial
    fisheries.gov.jmConsultat el Jun 14
  4. [04]

    Ban on Mechanical Guns Used for Fishing - Jamaica Information Service

    Oficial
    jis.gov.jmConsultat el Jun 14
  5. [05]

    Jamaica passes new Fisheries Act - FAO

    Oficial
    fao.orgConsultat el Jun 14
  6. [06]

    Annual Lobster Closed Season April 1 - June 30 - Jamaica Information Service

    Oficial
    jis.gov.jmConsultat el Jun 14
  7. [07]

    No Changes to Existing Conch Close Season Regulations - Jamaica Information Service

    Oficial
    jis.gov.jmConsultat el Jun 14
  8. [08]

    Online Licensing and Registration (IrieFINS) - National Fisheries Authority

    Oficial
    fisheries.gov.jmConsultat el Jun 14
  9. [09]

    Hold the spear - Government pushed to implement new Fisheries Act - Jamaica Gleaner (2013-07-14)

    Secundari
    jamaica-gleaner.comConsultat el Jun 14

Notes de l'investigador

Spearfishing in Jamaica is legal but restricted, governed primarily by the Fisheries Act, 2018 (which replaced the Fishing Industry Act, 1975 in October 2018) and subsidiary regulations. Confidence is MEDIUM rather than high because the official Fisheries Act 2018 PDF on the NFA site is a scanned/image-only document (JBIG2) that could not be machine-read to extract verbatim spearfishing/equipment sections; the verbatim night-impaling-device clause ('between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. ... any impaling device - including Hawaiian sling, speargun or any other impaling device') is sourced from the Jamaica Gleaner (2013-07-14) which reported the Fishing Industry Act amendment, and the direct article URL returned HTTP 404 on access (text retrieved via search index); it should be re-verified against the consolidated statute. The verbatim Special Fishery Conservation Area Regulations 2012 Reg. 4(1) text and the 14 named conservation areas were retrieved from the official Jamaica Trade Information Portal. Coordinates for sanctuaries are approximate (town/bay level) and should be treated as indicative. The 2012 regulations list 14 Special Fishery Conservation Areas; media report a higher figure (18) including later additions - 13 named prohibited zones are listed here from the official regulation (Galleon appears twice in the source - as St. Elizabeth and as Galleon Harbour). License cost and daily/size catch limits specific to spearfishing were not confirmed in authoritative sources and are marked unknown.

Estigueu al diaAccés anticipat

Notifiqueu-me quan canviïn les normes de Jamaica

Us enviarem un correu quan les temporades o normatives de Jamaica s'actualitzin en el nostre conjunt de dades.

Notifiqueu-me sobre

Sense correu brossa — només alertes de canvis. Doneu-vos de baixa en qualsevol moment. Mai no venem el vostre correu.