Saint Lucia

44. Restriction on use of spear gun—(1) Application for permission to use a spear gun in the fishery waters of Saint Lucia shall be made to the Chief Fisheries Officer. (2) No person shall use a spear gun or fishing gun for fishing in the fishery waters without having first obtained written permission from the Chief Fisheries Officer and in accordance with any conditions as the Chief Fisheries Officer may specify. (3) Notwithstanding the provisions of Sub-Regulation (2) no person shall use a spear gun for fishing in the fishery waters of Saint Lucia while using SCUBA or Hookah gear. (4) Subject to Sub-Regulation (5), the Chief Fisheries Officer may grant his permission, upon an application made under Sub-Regulation (1), and may specify conditions to the grant of his permission as he deems neccessary. (5) The use of a spear gun for fishing is prohibited in a Marine Reserve.

43. Application for SCUBA and Hookah licence—(1) A person shall apply to the Minister for a licence to operate a SCUBA or Hookah diving facility. (2) No person shall — (a) operate a SCUBA or Hookah diving facility in Saint Lucia without a licence issued by the Minister; (b) use SCUBA or Hookah diving gear without being registered to do so by a Fisheries Officer; (c) use SCUBA or Hookah diving gear for fishing unless authorised to do so in writing by the Chief Fisheries Officer; or (d) contravene the conditions of the licence issued by the Minister to operate a SCUBA or Hookah diving facility.

27. Sportsfishing rules—(1) The following rules shall apply to sportsfishing — (a) a person shall fish by the traditional method of angling with a hook or lure attached to a line held in the hand or attached to a pole, rod or reel; (b) a person unless otherwise authorised by the relevant licence, shall not use a spear, fish trap, or a net other than a cast net or a landing net; (c) the owner or operator of the vessel shall not use more than six rods or reels unless he is in possession of a licence authorising the use of more rods or reels; (d) any migratory fishery resource that is caught shall not consist of more than 18 kingfish, dolphinfish or wahoo per person on the boat, and any resource not intended to be used shall not be injured unnecessarily but shall be returned to the sea alive; (e) no vessel shall have on board any turtle; (f) no vessel shall have on board more than ten conch or six lobsters per person at any time; (g) no owner or operator of the vessel shall catch any demersal piscine resource less than 482.6 millimetres in total length.

(2) No person shall — (a) remove the eggs from a lobster, or have in his possession, or sell, or purchase a lobster from which the eggs have been removed; (b) spear, hook or attempt to spear a lobster; (c) sell any lobster that has been speared, hooked, or otherwise impaled; and (d) fish for, remove from the fishery waters, give, or at any time have in his possession, expose for sale, sell or purchase any lobster between the 30th day of April to the 1st day of September in every year, or as otherwise stated by the Minister by notice published in the Gazette and in a newspaper which is printed or circulated in the State. (3) In this Regulation — (b) "undersized" means in relation to lobsters — (i) less than 9.5 centimetres (3.75 ins.) in carapace length measured from the ridge at the base of the horns to the end of the carapace (back shell); or (ii) if the tail has been removed, a tail weight of less than 340 grammes (12 ounces).

33. Prohibition against disturbing, removing from the fishery waters or being in possession of turtles—(1) No person shall — (a) disturb, remove from the fishery waters, expose for sale, sell, purchase, or at any time have in his possession any turtle eggs; (b) interfere with any turtle nest, or turtle that is nesting; (c) remove from the fishery waters, expose for sale, sell, purchase, or at any time have in his possession any undersized turtle; (d) set within 100 metres of the shores of Saint Lucia any net or seine or any other artifice for the purpose of or with the intention of fishing for, catching or taking any turtle; and (e) fish for, remove from the fishery waters, or at any time have in his possession, expose for sale, sell or purchase any turtle between the 28th day of February to the 1st day of October in every year, or as otherwise stated by the Minister by notice published in the Gazette and in a newspaper which is printed or circulated in the State.

35. Prohibition against the sale of or taking possession of conch—(1) No person shall — (a) take from the fishery waters, sell, purchase, or at any time have in his possession any immature conch; or (b) take from the fishery waters, expose for sale, purchase or at any time have in his possession any conch during the closed season for conch as specified by the Minister by notice published in the Gazette and in a newspaper which is printed or circulated in the State. (2) In this Regulation — (b) "immature conch" means a conch with — (i) a total weight of less than one kilogramme; (ii) meat weight of less than 280 grammes after removal of the digestive gland; (iii) a shell which is smaller than eighteen centimetres in length; or (iv) a shell which does not have a flared lip.

36. Prohibition against the disturbance of sea urchins. No person shall disturb, damage, take from the fishery waters, have in his possession, purchase, expose for sale, or sell any sea urchins — (a) except with the written permission of the Chief Fisheries Officer, and in accordance with any such conditions as the Chief Fisheries Officer may specify; or (b) between the 30th day of November to the 1st day of September of the following year, or as otherwise stated by the Minister by notice published in the Gazette.

46. Restriction on use of Marine Reserve. No person shall use a Marine Reserve for recreational or other purposes except with the written permission of the Chief Fisheries Officer and in accordance with any such conditions as the Chief Fisheries Officer may specify.

34. Prohibition against taking possession of corals, sponges or marine algae. No person shall take, collect, have in his possession or damage any coral, sponges or marine algae from or in the fishery waters except with the written permission of the Chief Fisheries Officer, and in accordance with any such conditions as the Chief Fisheries Officer may specify.

Section 22 empowers the Minister to declare any fishery waters and adjacent land as a marine reserve to give special protection to flora and fauna, protect natural breeding grounds, allow regeneration of depleted aquatic life, promote scientific study and preserve natural beauty. Within a marine reserve, no person shall without written permission: fish or attempt to fish; take or destroy any flora or fauna; dredge, extract sand or gravel or deposit waste; or construct any building or structure. A person who contravenes this section is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000. (Excerpt/paraphrase of Section 22 as published; full verbatim spear-gun rule is in Regulation 44 of the Fisheries Regulations 1994.)