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
Kapercayan dataKapercayan sedhengan

Pungkasan diperbarui April 22, 2026

Kerangka hukum

  • §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  • §The Fishing Industry Act, 1975 (largely repealed/replaced by the 2018 Act)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
Lisensi diwajibake
Diwajibake
Senapan panah
Diidini

Hukum, verbatim

Teks hukum

Ketentuan undang-undang lan regulasi sing tepat sing ngatur mancing silem ing kene, dikutip kaya sing diterbitake, kanthi tautan menyang saben sumber resmi.

01Regulation 4(1)Jamaica · national

Fishing prohibited in Special Fishery Conservation Areas except under licence

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

ENAsli

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

ENAsli

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.

Kapan sampeyan bisa nyilem

Musim & watesan wektu

Periode tutup, buka, lan diwatesi sajrone setaun. Tansah konfirmasikake penutupan spesifik spesies sacara lokal.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
Mei
Jun
Jul
Agu
Sep
Okt
Nov
Des
TutupDiwatesiBuka
  • TutupSpiny lobster (Panulirus argus) - all species of spiny lobsterApr 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
  • TutupQueen conch (Strombus / Aliger gigas, Family Strombidae)Agu 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

Izin kanggo mancing

Lisensi

Apa sing dibutuhake supaya diidini ana ing banyu, biayane, lan cara entuke.

Lisensi diwajibakeliwat 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.

Entuk lisensi sampeyan

Mbukak portal resmi · fisheries.gov.jm

Lisensi diwajibake
Jenis
Fishing licence / fisher registration (recreational fishing licence under the Fisheries Act, 2018; spearfishers must hold a valid fishing licence)
Biaya
unknown
Masa berlaku
Renewed annually
Cara entuke
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.
Otoritas
National Fisheries Authority (NFA), Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining
Portal lisensi resmi · fisheries.gov.jm

Piranti & teknik

Aturan piranti

Piranti apa sing diidini, cara panggunaane, lan syarat sing ditempelake.

Senapan panahDiidini

Watesan

  • 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.

Apa sing boleh dijaluk

Watesan tangkapan & spesies lindung

Kuota harian, ukuran minimal, lan spesies sing ora boleh ditangkap.

Watesan harian

unknown

Spesies lindung — aja ditangkap

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

Sapa sing boleh mancing

Pengunjung & penduduk

Kepiye aturane beda kanggo pengunjung manca lan penduduk lokal.

Pengunjung manca

Syarat

  • 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.

Watesan

  • 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.

Penduduk

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

Syarat

  • 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.

Ngendi ing pesisir

Zona diidini & dilarang

Area sing diberi jeneng sing terbuka utawa tertutup kanggo mancing silem. Deleng gambaran lengkap ing peta interaktif.

Area dilarang

Deleng ing peta

Kondisi ing perairan

Kondisi langsung

Snapshot langsung kelautan lan cuaca cedhak titik referensi pesisir ing Jamaica, saka Open-Meteo. Kondisi beda-beda sak pesisir — dianggep minangka indikatif.

Kelautan & cuaca langsung cedhak Bluefields Bay Special Fishery Conservation Area.

Kondisi

Sapa sing kudu ditakoni

Otoritas

Badan resmi sing tanggung jawab kanggo perikanan lan lisensi.

  • 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

Asale saka ngendi

Sumber

Saben klaim ing kaca iki bisa dilacak bali menyang salah siji referensi iki.

  1. [01]

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

    Resmi
    fisheries.gov.jmDiakses Jun 14
  2. [02]

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

    Resmi
    jamaicatradeportal.gov.jmDiakses Jun 14
  3. [03]

    Legislation - National Fisheries Authority

    Resmi
    fisheries.gov.jmDiakses Jun 14
  4. [04]

    Ban on Mechanical Guns Used for Fishing - Jamaica Information Service

    Resmi
    jis.gov.jmDiakses Jun 14
  5. [05]

    Jamaica passes new Fisheries Act - FAO

    Resmi
    fao.orgDiakses Jun 14
  6. [06]

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

    Resmi
    jis.gov.jmDiakses Jun 14
  7. [07]

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

    Resmi
    jis.gov.jmDiakses Jun 14
  8. [08]

    Online Licensing and Registration (IrieFINS) - National Fisheries Authority

    Resmi
    fisheries.gov.jmDiakses Jun 14
  9. [09]

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

    Sekunder
    jamaica-gleaner.comDiakses Jun 14

Cathetan peneliti

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.

Tetep anyarAkses awal

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