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
Hyder dataHyder canolig

Diweddarwyd ddiwethaf Ebrill 22, 2026

Fframwaith llywodraethu

  • §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  • §The Fishing Industry Act, 1975 (largely repealed/replaced by the 2018 Act)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
Trwydded yn ofynnol
Gofynnol
Gwn gwayw
Caniatáu

Y gyfraith, air am air

Testunau cyfreithiol

Y darpariaethau statudol a rheoleiddiol manwl sy'n llywodraethu pysgota â gwaywffon yma, wedi'u dyfynnu fel y'u cyhoeddwyd, gyda dolen i bob ffynhonnell swyddogol.

01Regulation 4(1)Jamaica · national

Fishing prohibited in Special Fishery Conservation Areas except under licence

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

ENGwreiddiol

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

ENGwreiddiol

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.

Pryd gallwch blymio

Tymhorau a chyfyngiadau amser

Cyfnodau caeëdig, agored a chyfyngedig drwy gydol y flwyddyn. Cadarnhewch bob amser gaead rhywogaethau penodol yn lleol.

Ion
Chwe
Maw
Ebr
Mai
Meh
Gor
Awst
Med
Hyd
Tach
Rhag
Ar gauCyfyngedigAr agor
  • Ar gauSpiny lobster (Panulirus argus) - all species of spiny lobsterEbr 1 – Meh 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
  • Ar gauQueen conch (Strombus / Aliger gigas, Family Strombidae)Awst 30 – Chwe 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

Caniatâd i bysgota

Trwydded

Beth sydd ei angen arnoch i gael caniatâd i fod yn y dŵr, faint mae'n ei gostio, a sut i'w chael.

Trwydded yn ofynnoltrwy 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.

Cael eich trwydded

Yn agor y porth swyddogol · fisheries.gov.jm

Trwydded yn ofynnol
Math
Fishing licence / fisher registration (recreational fishing licence under the Fisheries Act, 2018; spearfishers must hold a valid fishing licence)
Cost
unknown
Dilysrwydd
Renewed annually
Sut i'w chael
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.
Awdurdod
National Fisheries Authority (NFA), Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining
Porth trwyddedu swyddogol · fisheries.gov.jm

Offer a thechneg

Rheolau offer

Pa offer sydd wedi'i ganiatáu, sut y gellir ei ddefnyddio, a'r amodau sydd ynghlwm.

Gwn gwaywCaniatáu

Cyfyngiadau

  • 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.

Beth y cewch ei gymryd

Terfynau dal a rhywogaethau gwarchodedig

Cwotâu dyddiol, meintiau lleiafswm, a rhywogaethau na ddylid byth eu cymryd.

Terfyn dyddiol

unknown

Rhywogaethau gwarchodedig — peidiwch â'u cymryd

  • GwarchodedigSpiny lobster (closed season Apr 1 - Jun 30; minimum size and no berried/egg-bearing females under lobster regulations)
  • GwarchodedigQueen conch (Family Strombidae - annual closed season; possession/sale/processing restricted)
  • GwarchodedigMarine 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.

Pwy sy'n cael pysgota

Ymwelwyr a phreswylwyr

Sut mae'r rheolau'n wahanol ar gyfer ymwelwyr tramor a phreswylwyr lleol.

Ymwelwyr tramor

Gofynion

  • 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.

Cyfyngiadau

  • 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.

Preswylwyr

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

Gofynion

  • 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.

Ble ar yr arfordir

Parthau caniatáu a gwaharddedig

Ardaloedd penodol sydd ar agor i neu wedi'u cau ar gyfer pysgota â gwaywffon. Gweler y darlun llawn ar y map rhyngweithiol.

Ardaloedd gwaharddedig

Gweld ar y map

Cyflyrau ar y dŵr

Cyflyrau byw

Cipolwg morol a thywydd byw ger pwynt cyfeirio arfordirol yn Jamaica, o Open-Meteo. Mae cyflyrau'n amrywio ar hyd yr arfordir — triniwch fel dangosol.

Morol byw a thywydd ger Bluefields Bay Special Fishery Conservation Area.

Cyflyrau

Pwy i ofyn iddynt

Awdurdodau

Y cyrff swyddogol sy'n gyfrifol am bysgodfeydd a thrwyddedu.

  • 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

O ble daw hyn

Ffynonellau

Mae pob honiad ar y dudalen hon yn deillio o un o'r cyfeiriadau hyn.

  1. [01]

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

    Swyddogol
    fisheries.gov.jmCyrchwyd Meh 14
  2. [02]

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

    Swyddogol
    jamaicatradeportal.gov.jmCyrchwyd Meh 14
  3. [03]

    Legislation - National Fisheries Authority

    Swyddogol
    fisheries.gov.jmCyrchwyd Meh 14
  4. [04]

    Ban on Mechanical Guns Used for Fishing - Jamaica Information Service

    Swyddogol
    jis.gov.jmCyrchwyd Meh 14
  5. [05]

    Jamaica passes new Fisheries Act - FAO

    Swyddogol
    fao.orgCyrchwyd Meh 14
  6. [06]

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

    Swyddogol
    jis.gov.jmCyrchwyd Meh 14
  7. [07]

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

    Swyddogol
    jis.gov.jmCyrchwyd Meh 14
  8. [08]

    Online Licensing and Registration (IrieFINS) - National Fisheries Authority

    Swyddogol
    fisheries.gov.jmCyrchwyd Meh 14
  9. [09]

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

    Eilradd
    jamaica-gleaner.comCyrchwyd Meh 14

Nodiadau'r ymchwilydd

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.

Aros yn gyfredolMynediad cynnar

Hysbysu fi pan fo rheolau Jamaica yn newid

Byddwn yn anfon e-bost atoch pan fo tymhorau neu reoliadau Jamaica yn cael eu diweddaru yn ein set ddata.

Hysbysu fi am

Dim sbam — rhybuddion newid yn unig. Dad-danysgrifio unrhyw bryd. Nid ydym byth yn gwerthu eich e-bost.