SpearfishingMap

United States of America · Spearfishing zone

Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary (Georgia)

Prohibited zonenational marine sanctuary

What this zone is

Overview

How spearfishing is treated at Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary (Georgia).

Spearfishing is prohibited throughout Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary, a 22-square-mile hard-bottom reef about 19 miles east of Sapelo Island, Georgia. 15 CFR 922.92(a)(6) bans "Using any fishing gear within the Sanctuary except rod and reel, and handline gear", and 922.92(a)(11)(iii) allows spearfishing gear to be carried only "provided that it is stowed on a vessel, not available for immediate use, and the vessel is passing through the Sanctuary without interruption". The southern third of the sanctuary is a Research Area (appendix A to subpart I: 31.362732-31.384444 N, 80.828145-80.921200 W) where 15 CFR 922.94 additionally prohibits taking any marine organism, using or carrying unstowed fishing gear, DIVING, and even stopping a vessel. Coordinate is the sanctuary centre point.

On the coast

Location

Approximate reference point for this zone. See the full picture on the interactive map.

31.3920°N, 80.8750°W

View on the map

Source

This zone is documented in the official source below.

Before you dive

License for United States of America

Whether you need a license to spearfish here, and how to get one.

License requiredvia State fish and wildlife agencies (e.g. FWC Florida, CDFW California, Hawaii DLNR/DAR, TPWD Texas); NOAA Fisheries for federal waters/HMS permits.

Purchase from the relevant state fish and wildlife agency online portal, license vendors, or in person. Requirements differ by state and by resident/non-resident status.

Get your license

Opens the official portal · fisheries.noaa.gov

← All spearfishing rules for United States of America

RevoiceLab — AI voiceover & media translation in 60+ languages