British Virgin Islands
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Spearfishing is prohibited in the British Virgin Islands. Under section 50(1) of the Virgin Islands Fisheries Act, 1997 (No. 4 of 1997), no person may use a speargun, SCUBA diving equipment, explosive, poison or other noxious substance for fishing in the fishery waters. It is illegal to even use or carry on board a fishing vessel any spear gun or SCUBA equipment for fishing or harvesting marine products. According to the official Government of the Virgin Islands notice, where such prohibited gear is found on a vessel a presumption arises (under s.50(2)) that the persons intended to fish in the fishery waters unless the contrary is proved; the same notice states the offence carries a maximum fine of USD 15,000 on summary conviction (attributed to s.63(a)). The exact statutory wording of s.50(2) and s.63 could not be verified against the consolidated Act (the 1997 Act is not yet published on the official Virgin Islands Laws Online portal and is not on FAOLEX), so those provisions are described from the official notice rather than quoted verbatim. The prohibition applies to residents, foreigners and tourists with no recreational exception, and spearguns/Hawaiian slings may be confiscated by Customs on arrival. The Food Security and Sustainability Act, 2022 contemplates allowing spearfishing, but as of February 2025 it had not been brought into force by notice in the Gazette and the supporting regulations remained in drafting, so spearfishing remained illegal under the 1997 Act and the 2003 Fisheries Regulations.
Охирин навсозӣ Феврал 1, 2025
Чорчӯби ҳукмрон
- §Fisheries Act, 1997 (No. 4 of 1997)
- §Fisheries Regulations, 2003
- §Fisheries (Fishing Priority Areas and Protected Areas) Order, 2011 (Statutory Instrument 2011 No. 69)
- §Fisheries (Protected Species) Order, 2014 (Statutory Instrument 2014 No. 28)
- §Food Security and Sustainability Act, 2022 (assented but not yet in force as of 2025)
- Иҷозатнома лозим аст
- Лозим
- Найзаи шикорӣ
- Манъ аст
- Акваланг
- Манъ аст
- Хориҷиён
- Иҷозат надорад
- Ҳадди аксари найзаҳо
- 0
Қонун, айнан
Матни ҳуқуқӣ
Муқаррароти дақиқи қонунгузорӣ ва танзимотие, ки шикори зериобиро дар ин ҷо идора мекунанд, ба ҳамон шакли нашршуда, бо пайванд ба ҳар манбаи расмӣ иқтибос шудаанд.
Prohibited fishing methods - spearguns and SCUBA (Fisheries Act 1997 s.50(1), as quoted in the official Government of the Virgin Islands notice)
Virgin Islands Fisheries Act, 1997 (No. 4 of 1997)
Subject to section 35 (2), no person shall use any speargun, self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) diving equipment, explosive, poison or other noxious substance for fishing in the fishery waters.
Prohibited fishing methods (recreational fishing guide)
Conservation and Fisheries Department - Guide to Recreational (Pleasure and Sport) Fishing
In the BVI it is illegal to use or carry onboard a fishing vessel any spear gun, self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) diving equipment, explosive, poison or other noxious substances for fishing or harvesting of marine products in the fishery waters. Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. There is a maximum fine of Fifteen Thousand Dollars ($15 000.00) for this violation.
Fishing prohibited in protected areas
Fisheries (Fishing Priority Areas and Protected Areas) Order, 2011 (Statutory Instrument 2011 No. 69), made under section 13(1)(a) and (b) of the Fisheries Act, 1997 (No. 4 of 1997)
No person shall engage in the fishing of any fish in the protected area otherwise than under the authority, and in accordance with the terms and conditions, of a licence issued under the Fisheries Act, 1997.
Prohibition of fishing for sharks
Fisheries (Protected Species) Order, 2014 (Statutory Instrument 2014 No. 28), made under section 14(1) of the Fisheries Act 1997
No person shall (a) remove from the fishery waters or intentionally engage in the fishing for sharks or any of their parts; (b) intentionally remove the fins, tail or mutilate any shark; (c) sell, purchase or have in his or her possession any shark, shark parts or shark products; (d) export or import any shark, shark parts or shark products; (e) feed, attempt to feed, provide or use food to attract any shark in the fishery waters.
Prohibition of fishing for rays
Fisheries (Protected Species) Order, 2014 (Statutory Instrument 2014 No. 28), made under section 14(1) of the Fisheries Act 1997
No person shall (a) remove from the fishery waters or intentionally engage in the fishing for rays or any of their parts; (b) intentionally mutilate any ray; (c) sell, purchase or have in his or her possession any ray, ray parts or ray products; (d) export or import any ray, ray parts or ray products; (e) feed, attempt to feed, provide or use food to attract any ray in the fishery waters.
Offence and penalty for taking protected species (sharks/rays)
Fisheries (Protected Species) Order, 2014 (Statutory Instrument 2014 No. 28)
Any person who contravenes sections 2 or 3 commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars.
Кай метавон ғаввос зад
Мавсимҳо ва маҳдудиятҳои вақтӣ
Давраҳои баста, кушода ва маҳдуд дар тӯли сол. Бастаҳои хоси намудҳоро ҳамеша маҳаллӣ тасдиқ кунед.
- БастаMargateЯнв 1 – Мар 31
Closed season for Margate (Jan 1 - Mar 31).
- БастаRed HindЯнв 1 – Мар 31
Closed season for Red Hind (Jan 1 - Mar 31).
- БастаNassau GrouperМар 1 – Май 31
Closed season for Nassau Grouper (Mar 1 - May 31).
- БастаLobsterИюл 31 – Окт 31
Closed season for Lobster, printed verbatim as 'Jul 31 - Oct 31' in the official Conservation and Fisheries Department recreational fishing guide. The single-day-late July 31 start is reproduced exactly as published (it likely reflects a closure running effectively from end of July through October).
- БастаConchАвг 15 – Окт 31
Closed season for Conch (Aug 15 - Oct 31).
- БастаWhelkАвг 15 – Окт 31
Closed season for Whelk (Aug 15 - Oct 31).
- БастаHawksbill Turtle and Green TurtleАпр 1 – Ноя 30
Closed season for Hawksbill Turtle and Green Turtle (Apr 1 - Nov 30).
Иҷозат барои моҳигирӣ
Иҷозатнома
Барои иҷозат гирифтан дар об чӣ лозим аст, нархи он ва чигунагии гирифтани он.
Application forms requested and returned by fax (1-284-468-2781) or email (cfd@gov.vg), accompanied by a copy of a valid photo ID (passport or driver's licence). Processed by the Conservation and Fisheries Department, Road Town, Tortola. Tel: 1-284-468-2700.
Иҷозатномаи худро гиредДаргоҳи расмиро мекушояд · bvi.gov.vg
- Навъ
- Certificate of Registration and Fishery Licence (recreational pleasure fishing); a temporary pleasure fishing licence valid for one month is available. Note: licences cover rod/hand-line angling only - spearfishing is prohibited and no spearfishing licence exists.
- Нарх
- Temporary pleasure fishing licence approximately USD 45.00 (valid one month)
- Эътибор
- Temporary pleasure fishing licence valid for one month
- Чигунагии гирифтан
- Application forms requested and returned by fax (1-284-468-2781) or email (cfd@gov.vg), accompanied by a copy of a valid photo ID (passport or driver's licence). Processed by the Conservation and Fisheries Department, Road Town, Tortola. Tel: 1-284-468-2700.
- Мақомот
- Conservation and Fisheries Department (Department of Agriculture and Fisheries), Government of the British Virgin Islands
Таҷҳизот ва техника
Қоидаҳои таҷҳизот
Кадом таҷҳизот иҷозат дорад, чӣ тавр истифода бурдан мумкин аст ва шартҳои он.
Маҳдудиятҳо
- Spearguns are prohibited for fishing/harvesting marine products in the fishery waters (Fisheries Act 1997 s.50(1)).
- SCUBA diving equipment may not be used for fishing or harvesting marine products.
- Explosives, poison and other noxious substances are prohibited for fishing.
- It is illegal to even carry a spear gun or SCUBA gear onboard a fishing vessel for fishing; possession on a vessel raises a presumption of intent to fish unlawfully (s.50(2)).
- Spearguns and Hawaiian slings may be confiscated by the Customs Department upon arrival in the Territory.
Recreational (pleasure) fishing is limited to rods and hand-lines; sport fishing is catch-and-release for big game such as marlin and sailfish, with release of marlin strongly encouraged.
Чиро гирифтан мумкин аст
Меъёрҳои шикор ва намудҳои ҳифзшуда
Меъёрҳои рӯзона, андозаи ҳадди ақал ва намудҳое, ки ҳеҷ гоҳ гирифтан мумкин нест.
Меъёри рӯзона
Pleasure fishing for personal consumption: maximum retention of 30 lbs of fish per boat.
Намудҳои ҳифзшуда — нагиред
- ҲифзшудаSharks (all species - Fisheries (Protected Species) Order 2014)
- ҲифзшудаRays (all species - Fisheries (Protected Species) Order 2014)
- ҲифзшудаLeatherback Turtle (moratorium / no take)
- ҲифзшудаLoggerhead Turtle (moratorium / no take)
- ҲифзшудаJewfish / Goliath Grouper (moratorium / no take)
- ҲифзшудаHawksbill Turtle (closed season Apr 1 - Nov 30)
- ҲифзшудаGreen Turtle (closed season Apr 1 - Nov 30)
- ҲифзшудаNassau Grouper (closed season Mar 1 - May 31)
Moratoriums (NO TAKE) apply to Leatherback Turtles, Loggerhead Turtles and Jewfish (Goliath Grouper). Sharks and rays are fully protected under the Fisheries (Protected Species) Order, 2014 (limited subsistence/scientific exceptions for licensed local fishermen/permit holders). Closed seasons apply to Margate, Red Hind, Nassau Grouper, Lobster, Conch, Whelk and marine turtles. Since spearfishing is prohibited, these limits are relevant to permitted rod/hand-line fishing.
Кӣ метавонад моҳигирӣ кунад
Меҳмонон ва сокинон
Тафовути қоидаҳо барои меҳмонони хориҷӣ ва сокинони маҳаллӣ.
Меҳмонони хориҷӣ
Иҷозат надорадТалабот
- Foreign vessels engaged in recreational fishing require a Certificate of Registration and Fishery Licence to fish in BVI waters.
Маҳдудиятҳо
- Spearfishing is prohibited for everyone, including tourists and foreigners - there is no recreational, tourist or commercial exception.
- Bringing a spear gun or Hawaiian sling into the Territory may result in confiscation by the Customs Department on arrival.
Foreigners may obtain a recreational fishing licence for rod/hand-line angling, but spearfishing is not permitted under any licence.
Сокинон
Certificate of Registration and Fishery Licence (recreational); separate commercial fisherman registration for licensed local fishermen
Талабот
- Local vessels engaged in recreational fishing require a Certificate of Registration and Fishery Licence.
Имтиёзҳо
- Licensed local fishermen have limited subsistence exception for fishing certain non-endangered sharks under the Fisheries (Protected Species) Order 2014.
Spearfishing is prohibited for residents as well; no spearfishing exception currently exists in law.
Дар кадом қисми соҳил
Минтақаҳои иҷозатдор ва манъшуда
Минтақаҳои номнашудае, ки барои шикори зериобӣ кушода ё бастаанд. Тасвири пурраро дар харитаи интерактивӣ бинед.
Минтақаҳои манъшуда
- Horse Shoe Reef, Anegadamarine protected area
Fisheries Protected Area (Marine Protected Area). ALL human activity (save snorkeling) is prohibited, including mooring of boats, diving, building construction and fishing.
- Beef Island Channelmarine protected area
Fisheries Protected Area (Marine Protected Area). ALL human activity (save snorkeling) is prohibited, including fishing.
- Hans Creek, Beef Islandmarine protected area
Fisheries Protected Area (Marine Protected Area). ALL human activity (save snorkeling) is prohibited, including fishing.
- The Sound, Ginger Islandmarine protected area
Fisheries Protected Area (Marine Protected Area). ALL human activity (save snorkeling) is prohibited, including fishing.
- Big Reef, Peter Islandmarine protected area
Fisheries Protected Area (Marine Protected Area). ALL human activity (save snorkeling) is prohibited, including fishing.
- Green Caymarine protected area
Fisheries Protected Area (Marine Protected Area). ALL human activity (save snorkeling) is prohibited, including fishing.
- North Bay, Guanamarine protected area
Fisheries Protected Area (Marine Protected Area). ALL human activity (save snorkeling) is prohibited, including fishing.
- Frenchman's Caymarine protected area
Fisheries Protected Area (Marine Protected Area). ALL human activity (save snorkeling) is prohibited, including fishing.
- Taylor Bay, Virgin Gordamarine protected area
Fisheries Protected Area (Marine Protected Area). ALL human activity (save snorkeling) is prohibited, including fishing.
- South Sound, Virgin Gordamarine protected area
Fisheries Protected Area (Marine Protected Area). ALL human activity (save snorkeling) is prohibited, including fishing.
- The Sound, Salt Islandmarine protected area
Fisheries Protected Area (Marine Protected Area). ALL human activity (save snorkeling) is prohibited, including fishing.
- Money Bay, Norman Islandmarine protected area
Fisheries Protected Area (Marine Protected Area). ALL human activity (save snorkeling) is prohibited, including fishing.
- Santa Monica Rockmarine protected area
Fisheries Protected Area (Marine Protected Area). ALL human activity (save snorkeling) is prohibited, including fishing.
- Dead Chestmarine protected area
Fisheries Protected Area (Marine Protected Area). ALL human activity (save snorkeling) is prohibited, including fishing.
- Rhone National Marine Park (RMS Rhone, Salt Island to Dead Chest)national marine park
The BVI's first and only national sea park (designated 1980), ~800 acres of marine waters between Salt Island and Dead Chest Island, encompassing the RMS Rhone wreck off Lee Bay, Salt Island. Managed by the National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands. National park policies prohibit anchoring, fishing and land access to protect the reefs and habitats; mooring buoys are provided in lieu of anchoring. Spearfishing is in any case banned BVI-wide.
Шароит дар об
Шароити зинда
Тасвири зиндаи баҳрӣ ва ҳавоӣ дар наздикии нуқтаи марҷаи соҳилии British Virgin Islands, аз Open-Meteo. Шароит дар тӯли соҳил фарқ мекунад — ба сифати нишондиҳанда қабул кунед.
Шароити зиндаи баҳрӣ ва ҳавоӣ дар наздикии Horse Shoe Reef, Anegada.
Аз кӣ бояд пурсид
Мақомот
Органҳои расмии масъул барои моҳигирӣ ва иҷозатнома.
Conservation and Fisheries Department (Department of Agriculture and Fisheries)
fisheries authority
bvi.gov.vgP.O. Box 3323, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Tel: (284) 468-2700; Fax: (284) 468-2781; Email: cfd@gov.vgGovernment of the Virgin Islands - Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour
environment ministry
bvi.gov.vgRoad Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Аз куҷо гирифта шуда
Манбаъҳо
Ҳар иддао дар ин саҳифа ба яке аз ин манобеъ бармегардад.
- [01]
Speargun Fishing Is Strictly Prohibited - Government of the Virgin Islands (official notice, 25 May 2020)
Расмӣbvi.gov.vgДастрасӣ Фев 1 - [02]
Guide to Recreational (Pleasure and Sport) Fishing - Conservation and Fisheries Department
Расмӣbvi.gov.vgДастрасӣ Фев 1 - [03]
Fisheries (Protected Species) Order, 2014 (SI 2014 No. 28) - FAOLEX full text
Расмӣfaolex.fao.orgДастрасӣ Фев 1 - [04]
Fisheries (Fishing Priority Areas and Protected Areas) Order, 2011 (SI 2011 No. 69) - FAOLEX full text (lists the 14 protected areas and the section 4 fishing prohibition)
Расмӣfaolex.fao.orgДастрасӣ Июн 16 - [05]
Food Security and Sustainability Act, 2022 - Government of the Virgin Islands
Расмӣbvi.gov.vgДастрасӣ Фев 1 - [06]
Spearfishing illegal for now, premier says - The BVI Beacon
Иловагӣbvibeacon.comДастрасӣ Фев 1 - [07]
Farming, fishing law is still not enacted - The BVI Beacon
Иловагӣbvibeacon.comДастрасӣ Фев 1 - [08]
Is Spearfishing Allowed in the BVI? - Lancaster Scuba
communitylancasterscuba.comДастрасӣ Фев 1
Эзоҳоти муҳаққиқ
Spearfishing is illegal in the British Virgin Islands. The core prohibition is Fisheries Act 1997 (No. 4 of 1997) s.50(1) (no speargun/SCUBA/explosive/poison for fishing), reinforced by the Fisheries Regulations 2003 and the official Conservation and Fisheries Department recreational fishing guide. The official Government notice attributes the maximum fine of USD 15,000 to s.63(a) and a presumption-of-intent rule to s.50(2); however the consolidated Fisheries Act 1997 could not be retrieved (it is not yet published on the official Virgin Islands Laws Online portal, laws.gov.vg, and is not on FAOLEX), so the verbatim wording of s.50(2) and s.63 could not be confirmed. To avoid presenting paraphrase as statute, the previous s.50(2) and s.63(a) law_texts entries (which were summaries, not quotes) were removed; their substance is retained in the legal_status summary with explicit attribution to the official notice. The Act number (No. 4 of 1997) is corroborated by the Fisheries (Fishing Priority Areas and Protected Areas) Order, 2011 (SI 2011 No. 69), whose verbatim section 4 is now cited from FAOLEX as the in-force legal basis for the protected-area fishing ban; FAOLEX separately mislabels the Act as 'No. 18 of 1997'. The Food Security and Sustainability Act, 2022, which would permit spearfishing (without SCUBA), received the Governor's assent but had NOT been brought into force by Gazette notice as of February 2025, with supporting regulations still in drafting; until commencement, spearfishing remains prohibited. Permitted recreational fishing is rod/hand-line pleasure fishing (30 lbs per boat personal-consumption cap) and catch-and-release sport fishing; both require a licence. 14 Fisheries Protected Areas (MPAs) ban all activity except snorkeling (confirmed against both the recreational guide and the 2011 Order). Only 2 MPAs (Horse Shoe Reef/Anegada area, Dead Chest) carry coordinates, and those are approximate centroids derived from gazetteer data, not from the legal instrument; remaining MPAs lack precise published coordinates and are left without coordinates to avoid fabrication. Confidence is medium: the legal status (prohibited) is well-sourced from official government material, but two penalty/presumption provisions rest on an official press notice's paraphrase rather than the verifiable consolidated statute.
Маро огоҳ кун, вақте қоидаҳои British Virgin Islands тағйир меёбад
Вақте мавсимҳо ё қоиданомаҳои British Virgin Islands дар маълумоти мо навсозӣ шавад, ба шумо почта мефиристем.