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
Wiarygodność danychŚrednia wiarygodność

Ostatnia aktualizacja kwiecień 22, 2026

Ramy prawne

  • §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  • §The Fishing Industry Act, 1975 (largely repealed/replaced by the 2018 Act)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
Wymagana licencja
Wymagana
Kusza
Dozwolony

Prawo, dosłownie

Teksty prawne

Dokładne przepisy ustawowe i wykonawcze regulujące łowiectwo podwodne w tym miejscu, zacytowane w opublikowanej formie, z linkiem do każdego oficjalnego źródła.

01Regulation 4(1)Jamaica · national

Fishing prohibited in Special Fishery Conservation Areas except under licence

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

ENOryginał

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

ENOryginał

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.

Kiedy możesz nurkować

Sezony i ograniczenia czasowe

Okresy ochronne, otwarte i z ograniczeniami w ciągu roku. Zawsze potwierdzaj lokalnie zamknięcia dotyczące konkretnych gatunków.

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ZamkniętyZ ograniczeniamiOtwarty
  • ZamkniętySpiny lobster (Panulirus argus) - all species of spiny lobsterkwi 1 – cze 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
  • ZamkniętyQueen conch (Strombus / Aliger gigas, Family Strombidae)sie 30 – lut 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

Pozwolenie na łowienie

Licencja

Czego potrzebujesz, by móc wejść do wody, ile to kosztuje i jak to zdobyć.

Wymagana licencjaprzez 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.

Zdobądź licencję

Otwiera oficjalny portal · fisheries.gov.jm

Wymagana licencja
Typ
Fishing licence / fisher registration (recreational fishing licence under the Fisheries Act, 2018; spearfishers must hold a valid fishing licence)
Koszt
unknown
Ważność
Renewed annually
Jak uzyskać
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.
Organ
National Fisheries Authority (NFA), Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining
Oficjalny portal licencyjny · fisheries.gov.jm

Sprzęt i technika

Zasady dotyczące sprzętu

Jaki sprzęt jest dozwolony, jak może być używany i jakie warunki są z tym związane.

KuszaDozwolone

Ograniczenia

  • 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.

Co możesz złowić

Limity połowowe i gatunki chronione

Dzienne limity, minimalne rozmiary oraz gatunki, których nigdy nie wolno łowić.

Limit dzienny

unknown

Gatunki chronione — nie łowić

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

Kto może łowić

Goście i mieszkańcy

Czym różnią się zasady dla zagranicznych gości i lokalnych mieszkańców.

Zagraniczni goście

Wymagania

  • 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.

Ograniczenia

  • 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.

Mieszkańcy

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

Wymagania

  • 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.

Gdzie na wybrzeżu

Strefy dozwolone i zabronione

Nazwane obszary otwarte lub zamknięte dla łowiectwa podwodnego. Zobacz pełny obraz na interaktywnej mapie.

Obszary zabronione

Zobacz na mapie

Warunki na wodzie

Warunki na żywo

Migawka warunków morskich i pogodowych na żywo w pobliżu nadmorskiego punktu odniesienia w kraju Jamaica, od Open-Meteo. Warunki różnią się wzdłuż wybrzeża — traktuj orientacyjnie.

Warunki morskie i pogodowe na żywo w pobliżu Bluefields Bay Special Fishery Conservation Area.

Warunki

Do kogo się zwrócić

Władze

Oficjalne organy odpowiedzialne za rybołówstwo i licencje.

  • 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

Skąd to pochodzi

Źródła

Każde stwierdzenie na tej stronie odsyła do jednego z tych odniesień.

  1. [01]

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

    Oficjalne
    fisheries.gov.jmDostęp cze 14
  2. [02]

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

    Oficjalne
    jamaicatradeportal.gov.jmDostęp cze 14
  3. [03]

    Legislation - National Fisheries Authority

    Oficjalne
    fisheries.gov.jmDostęp cze 14
  4. [04]

    Ban on Mechanical Guns Used for Fishing - Jamaica Information Service

    Oficjalne
    jis.gov.jmDostęp cze 14
  5. [05]

    Jamaica passes new Fisheries Act - FAO

    Oficjalne
    fao.orgDostęp cze 14
  6. [06]

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

    Oficjalne
    jis.gov.jmDostęp cze 14
  7. [07]

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

    Oficjalne
    jis.gov.jmDostęp cze 14
  8. [08]

    Online Licensing and Registration (IrieFINS) - National Fisheries Authority

    Oficjalne
    fisheries.gov.jmDostęp cze 14
  9. [09]

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

    Wtórne
    jamaica-gleaner.comDostęp cze 14

Notatki badacza

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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