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
Confianza nos datosConfianza media

Última actualización Abril 22, 2026

Marco normativo

  • §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  • §The Fishing Industry Act, 1975 (largely repealed/replaced by the 2018 Act)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
Licenza obrigatoria
Obrigatoria
Arpón
Permitido

A lei, literalmente

Textos legais

As disposicións estatutarias e regulamentarias exactas que rexen a pesca submarina aquí, citadas tal como se publicaron, con ligazón a cada fonte 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

ENOrixinal

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

ENOrixinal

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.

Cando podes mergullarte

Tempadas e restricións horarias

Períodos pechados, abertos e restrinxidos ao longo do ano. Confirma sempre localmente os peches específicos por especie.

Xan
Feb
Mar
Abr
Mai
Xuñ
Xul
Ago
Set
Out
Nov
Dec
PechadoRestrinxidoAberto
  • PechadoSpiny lobster (Panulirus argus) - all species of spiny lobsterAbr 1 – Xuñ 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
  • PechadoQueen 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

Permiso para pescar

Licenza

O que necesitas para poder estar na auga, o seu custo e como obtela.

Licenza obrigatoriaa 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.

Obtén a túa licenza

Abre o portal oficial · fisheries.gov.jm

Licenza obrigatoria
Tipo
Fishing licence / fisher registration (recreational fishing licence under the Fisheries Act, 2018; spearfishers must hold a valid fishing licence)
Custo
unknown
Validez
Renewed annually
Como obter
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.
Autoridade
National Fisheries Authority (NFA), Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining
Portal oficial de licenzas · fisheries.gov.jm

Equipamento e técnica

Normas de equipamento

Que equipamento está permitido, como se pode usar e as condicións aplicables.

ArpónPermitido

Restricións

  • 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.

O que podes capturar

Límites de captura e especies protexidas

Cotas diarias, tamaños mínimos e especies que nunca se poden capturar.

Límite diario

unknown

Especies protexidas — non capturar

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

Quen pode pescar

Visitantes e residentes

Como difiren as normas para os visitantes estranxeiros e os residentes locais.

Visitantes estranxeiros

Requisitos

  • 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.

Restricións

  • 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.

Residentes

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

Requisitos

  • 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.

Onde na costa

Zonas permitidas e prohibidas

Áreas nomeadas que están abertas ou pechadas para a pesca submarina. Ve o panorama completo no mapa interactivo.

Áreas prohibidas

Ver no mapa

Condicións na auga

Condicións en directo

Instantánea mariña e meteorolóxica en directo preto dun punto de referencia costeiro en Jamaica, de Open-Meteo. As condicións varían ao longo da costa — úsaas como indicativas.

Condicións mariñas e meteorolóxicas en directo preto de Bluefields Bay Special Fishery Conservation Area.

Condicións

A quen preguntar

Autoridades

Os organismos oficiais responsables da pesca e das licenzas.

  • 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

De onde vén esta información

Fontes

Cada afirmación desta páxina remite a unha destas referencias.

  1. [01]

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

    Oficial
    fisheries.gov.jmConsultado o Xuñ 14
  2. [02]

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

    Oficial
    jamaicatradeportal.gov.jmConsultado o Xuñ 14
  3. [03]

    Legislation - National Fisheries Authority

    Oficial
    fisheries.gov.jmConsultado o Xuñ 14
  4. [04]

    Ban on Mechanical Guns Used for Fishing - Jamaica Information Service

    Oficial
    jis.gov.jmConsultado o Xuñ 14
  5. [05]

    Jamaica passes new Fisheries Act - FAO

    Oficial
    fao.orgConsultado o Xuñ 14
  6. [06]

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

    Oficial
    jis.gov.jmConsultado o Xuñ 14
  7. [07]

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

    Oficial
    jis.gov.jmConsultado o Xuñ 14
  8. [08]

    Online Licensing and Registration (IrieFINS) - National Fisheries Authority

    Oficial
    fisheries.gov.jmConsultado o Xuñ 14
  9. [09]

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

    Secundaria
    jamaica-gleaner.comConsultado o Xuñ 14

Notas do 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.

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