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
Nivelul de încredere al datelorÎncredere medie

Ultima actualizare Aprilie 22, 2026

Cadrul de reglementare

  • §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  • §The Fishing Industry Act, 1975 (largely repealed/replaced by the 2018 Act)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
Licență obligatorie
Obligatorie
Arbaletă
Permis

Legea, verbatim

Texte legale

Prevederile statutare și de reglementare exacte care guvernează pescuitul subacvatic aici, citate așa cum au fost publicate, cu un link la fiecare sursă oficială.

01Regulation 4(1)Jamaica · national

Fishing prohibited in Special Fishery Conservation Areas except under licence

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

ENOriginal

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

ENOriginal

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.

Când poți te scufunda

Sezoane și restricții de timp

Perioade închise, deschise și restricționate pe parcursul anului. Confirmă întotdeauna local închiderile specifice speciilor.

Ian
Feb
Mar
Apr
Mai
Iun
Iul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
ÎnchisRestricționatDeschis
  • ÎnchisSpiny lobster (Panulirus argus) - all species of spiny lobsterApr 1 – Iun 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
  • ÎnchisQueen conch (Strombus / Aliger gigas, Family Strombidae)Aug 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

Permisiunea de a pescui

Licență

Ce ai nevoie pentru a fi permis în apă, cât costă și cum se obține.

Licență obligatorieprin 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.

Obține licența ta

Deschide portalul oficial · fisheries.gov.jm

Licență obligatorie
Tip
Fishing licence / fisher registration (recreational fishing licence under the Fisheries Act, 2018; spearfishers must hold a valid fishing licence)
Cost
unknown
Valabilitate
Renewed annually
Cum se obține
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.
Autoritate
National Fisheries Authority (NFA), Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining
Portal oficial de licențiere · fisheries.gov.jm

Echipament și tehnică

Reguli de echipament

Ce echipament este permis, cum poate fi utilizat și condițiile atașate.

ArbaletăPermis

Restricții

  • 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.

Ce poți lua

Limite de captură și specii protejate

Cote zilnice, dimensiuni minime și specii care nu trebuie luate niciodată.

Limită zilnică

unknown

Specii protejate — nu lua

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

Cine poate pescui

Vizitatori și rezidenți

Cum diferă regulile pentru vizitatorii străini și rezidenții locali.

Vizitatori străini

Cerințe

  • 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.

Restricții

  • 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.

Rezidenți

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

Cerințe

  • 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.

Unde pe coastă

Zone permise și interzise

Zone denumite care sunt deschise sau închise pentru pescuitul subacvatic. Vezi imaginea completă pe harta interactivă.

Zone interzise

Vezi pe hartă

Condiții pe apă

Condiții live

Instantaneu live marin și meteorologic lângă un punct de referință costier din Jamaica, de la Open-Meteo. Condițiile variază de-a lungul coastei — tratează ca indicator.

Condiții live marine și meteo lângă Bluefields Bay Special Fishery Conservation Area.

Condiții

Pe cine să întrebi

Autorități

Organismele oficiale responsabile de pescuit și licențiere.

  • 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 unde provine

Surse

Fiecare afirmație de pe această pagină se regăsește în una dintre aceste referințe.

  1. [01]

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

    Oficial
    fisheries.gov.jmAccesat Iun 14
  2. [02]

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

    Oficial
    jamaicatradeportal.gov.jmAccesat Iun 14
  3. [03]

    Legislation - National Fisheries Authority

    Oficial
    fisheries.gov.jmAccesat Iun 14
  4. [04]

    Ban on Mechanical Guns Used for Fishing - Jamaica Information Service

    Oficial
    jis.gov.jmAccesat Iun 14
  5. [05]

    Jamaica passes new Fisheries Act - FAO

    Oficial
    fao.orgAccesat Iun 14
  6. [06]

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

    Oficial
    jis.gov.jmAccesat Iun 14
  7. [07]

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

    Oficial
    jis.gov.jmAccesat Iun 14
  8. [08]

    Online Licensing and Registration (IrieFINS) - National Fisheries Authority

    Oficial
    fisheries.gov.jmAccesat Iun 14
  9. [09]

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

    Secundar
    jamaica-gleaner.comAccesat Iun 14

Note cercetător

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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