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
Zanesljivost podatkovSrednja zanesljivost

Nazadnje posodobljeno April 22, 2026

Veljavni pravni okvir

  • §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  • §The Fishing Industry Act, 1975 (largely repealed/replaced by the 2018 Act)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
Licenca obvezna
Obvezno
Podvodna puška
Dovoljeno

Zakon, dobesedno

Pravna besedila

Natančne zakonske in regulativne določbe, ki urejajo podvodni ribolov tukaj, citirane kot objavljene, z povezavo do vsakega uradnega vira.

01Regulation 4(1)Jamaica · national

Fishing prohibited in Special Fishery Conservation Areas except under licence

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

ENIzvirnik

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

ENIzvirnik

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.

Kdaj se lahko potopite

Sezone in časovne omejitve

Zaprta, odprta in omejena obdobja skozi leto. Vedno potrdite zaprtja za posamezne vrste lokalno.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
Maj
Jun
Jul
Avg
Sep
Okt
Nov
Dec
ZaprtoOmejenoOdprto
  • ZaprtoSpiny 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
  • ZaprtoQueen conch (Strombus / Aliger gigas, Family Strombidae)Avg 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

Dovoljenje za ribolov

Licenca

Kaj potrebujete za vstop v vodo, koliko stane in kako jo pridobiti.

Licenca obveznaprek 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.

Pridobite licenco

Odpre uradni portal · fisheries.gov.jm

Licenca obvezna
Vrsta
Fishing licence / fisher registration (recreational fishing licence under the Fisheries Act, 2018; spearfishers must hold a valid fishing licence)
Strošek
unknown
Veljavnost
Renewed annually
Kako pridobiti
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.
Pristojni organ
National Fisheries Authority (NFA), Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining
Uradni portal za licenciranje · fisheries.gov.jm

Oprema in tehnika

Pravila o opremi

Katera oprema je dovoljena, kako se sme uporabljati in pod katerimi pogoji.

Podvodna puškaDovoljeno

Omejitve

  • 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.

Kaj smete vzeti

Omejitve ulova in zaščitene vrste

Dnevne kvote, najmanjše mere in vrste, ki jih ne smete nikoli vzeti.

Dnevna omejitev

unknown

Zaščitene vrste — ne jemljite

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

Kdo sme ribariti

Obiskovalci in rezidenti

Kako se pravila razlikujejo za tuje obiskovalce in lokalne rezidente.

Tuji obiskovalci

Zahteve

  • 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.

Omejitve

  • 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.

Rezidenti

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

Zahteve

  • 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.

Kje na obali

Dovoljene in prepovedane cone

Poimenovana območja, ki so odprta ali zaprta za podvodni ribolov. Oglejte si celotno sliko na interaktivnem zemljevidu.

Prepovedana območja

Na zemljevidu

Razmere na vodi

Žive razmere

Živ morski in vremenski posnetek v bližini obalnega referenčnega mesta v Jamaica, iz Open-Meteo. Razmere se vzdolž obale razlikujejo — obravnavajte kot okvirne.

Žive morske in vremenske razmere pri Bluefields Bay Special Fishery Conservation Area.

Razmere

Koga vprašati

Pristojni organi

Uradni organi, odgovorni za ribištvo in licenciranje.

  • 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

Od kod prihaja

Viri

Vsaka trditev na tej strani je sledljiva do enega od teh referenc.

  1. [01]

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

    Uradni
    fisheries.gov.jmDostopano Jun 14
  2. [02]

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

    Uradni
    jamaicatradeportal.gov.jmDostopano Jun 14
  3. [03]

    Legislation - National Fisheries Authority

    Uradni
    fisheries.gov.jmDostopano Jun 14
  4. [04]

    Ban on Mechanical Guns Used for Fishing - Jamaica Information Service

    Uradni
    jis.gov.jmDostopano Jun 14
  5. [05]

    Jamaica passes new Fisheries Act - FAO

    Uradni
    fao.orgDostopano Jun 14
  6. [06]

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

    Uradni
    jis.gov.jmDostopano Jun 14
  7. [07]

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

    Uradni
    jis.gov.jmDostopano Jun 14
  8. [08]

    Online Licensing and Registration (IrieFINS) - National Fisheries Authority

    Uradni
    fisheries.gov.jmDostopano Jun 14
  9. [09]

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

    Sekundarni
    jamaica-gleaner.comDostopano Jun 14

Opombe raziskovalca

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.

Ostanite v tokuZgodnji dostop

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