Island Spear Co.

Regulations U.S. Virgin Islands

Spearfishing Regulations in U.S. Virgin Islands

Checked against the primary source (DPNR) on July 5, 2026territory

Governing agency: U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR), Division of Fish and Wildlife. Last verified July 5, 2026 by independent primary-source check.

Summary

Spearfishing is legal in most U.S. Virgin Islands territorial marine waters, and unlike the neighboring British Virgin Islands the USVI does NOT ban spearguns 1. A recreational fishing license is now required for everyone fishing recreationally in VI waters, including spearfishers, and as of August 2025 it is finally issued through the DPNR GoOutdoorsUSVI online system 45. Spiny lobster, conch, and whelk may never be speared (hand/snare/trap only), several species are fully protected, and spearfishing is prohibited inside the Virgin Islands National Park and the territory's marine reserves 1.

License

What you need to be legal

LegalA license is required
License
USVI Recreational Fishing License (Individual Recreational Angler)
Who needs it
All individuals fishing recreationally in USVI territorial waters, including spearfishers, whether fishing from shore, a private vessel, or a charter 456. Note the practice nuance: the license became purchasable in Aug 2025 but DPNR ran a soft-launch period and stated active enforcement would begin mid-2026 with advance public notice 7 - see 'The full story'.
Resident cost
$15 per year for residents (corroborated by two independent DPNR-announcement reports 57; not yet re-confirmed on a directly-loaded DPNR/GoOutdoorsUSVI page)
Non-resident cost
Visitor license valid 90 days (3 months); exact fee not confirmed from a primary source 57
Where to buy
Online at GoOutdoorsUSVI.com (24/7), or in person at a DPNR Division of Fish & Wildlife office (St. Thomas 340-774-3320, St. Croix 340-773-1082) 42

Exemptions

  • Anglers under age 16 5
  • Anglers over age 62 5
  • Individuals receiving nutrition assistance 5
  • Individuals with disabilities 5
  • Active-duty military 5
  • Holders of a valid USVI commercial fishing license 5

The full story

The full story

The USVI recreational fishing license is a textbook law-vs-practice case that resolved recently. The legal requirement for recreational anglers (spearfishers included) traces to the Virgin Islands Rules and Regulations signed on October 7, 2022 5. For nearly three years, however, there was no functioning way for a resident or visitor to actually buy one - the requirement existed largely on paper.

That gap began to close in August 2025, when DPNR and the Division of Fish and Wildlife launched GoOutdoorsUSVI.com, described as a first-of-its-kind digital platform giving residents and visitors 24/7 access to purchase the license 45. One further practice nuance the paperwork alone does not reveal: DPNR treated August 2025 as a soft launch and publicly stated that active enforcement of the requirement would begin in mid-2026, with advance notice to the public 7. DPNR's own October 2025 press release already treats the license as required (citing V.I.R.R. Title 12-002-000 Subchapter 106) and directs the public to GoOutdoorsUSVI to buy it 6. So as of the July 2026 verification date the license is a real, obtainable, and now-enforced requirement - not a dormant statute - but the enforcement ramp is recent enough that a spearo should not assume lax follow-through. Residents pay $15/year; visitors receive a 90-day license; broad exemptions cover youths under 16, seniors over 62, active-duty military, people with disabilities, nutrition-assistance recipients, and existing commercial license holders 57.

Bottom line for a visiting spearo: get the visitor license through GoOutdoorsUSVI before you dive, then confirm you are outside the Virgin Islands National Park and all marine reserves, and never spear lobster, conch, whelk, or protected species.

Where it's legal

Saltwater & freshwater

Saltwater

Legal

The USVI is a Caribbean island territory whose fisheries are entirely marine 1. Spearfishing is defined and permitted in open territorial waters (0-3 nmi) for legal finfish 1. It is banned for lobster, conch, and whelk, for protected species, and inside the National Park and marine reserves (see area restrictions). In adjacent federal waters (3-200 nmi) NOAA/50 CFR 622 rules apply, enforced with the Caribbean Fishery Management Council; a powerhead may not be used and lobster may not be speared in the St. Croix or St. Thomas/St. John EEZ 1.

Freshwater

Not permitted

The USVI has essentially no natural freshwater sport fisheries (no rivers or lakes with a fishable game-fish population); coastal salt ponds and lagoons are brackish/marine and several are protected. In the St. Croix lagoons, recreational fishing is restricted to handline and rod-and-reel: it is permitted in Altona Lagoon and its sea channel but prohibited in Great Pond (a No-Take Zone) 1. No freshwater spearing/gigging/bowfishing framework exists here 1.

Gear

What you can carry

Speargun
Permitted. DPNR defines 'Spear Fishing' as taking fish with a hand- or mechanically-propelled, single or multi-pronged spear or lance (barbed or barbless) by a person swimming at or below the surface; no territorial rule bans spearguns, in contrast to the BVI which prohibits them entirely 1.
Pole spear
Permitted for legal finfish under the same 'spear fishing' definition 1.
Hawaiian sling
Permitted for legal finfish under the same 'spear fishing' definition; no separate restriction found in DPNR rules 1.
Spearfishing on SCUBA
DPNR's handbook contains no explicit rule allowing or prohibiting spearfishing while on SCUBA in territorial waters; however 'hookah' (surface-supplied air) gear may not be used to harvest marine resources in territorial waters 1. SCUBA-specific spearfishing legality is not confirmable from a primary source and is listed as unverified.

Gear restrictions

  • Spears, hooks, or similar devices may NOT be used to take spiny lobster anywhere in territorial waters; lobster may be taken by hand only (also by snare/trap for the fishery) 1
  • Powerheads may not be used in the St. Croix or St. Thomas/St. John federal EEZ (a speared/pierced lobster or a powerhead is evidence of a violation) 1
  • Hookah (surface-supplied air) gear may not be used to harvest marine resources in territorial waters 1
  • No explosives, poisons, drugs, or other chemicals may be used to fish in territorial or federal waters 1
  • Fish taken in territorial waters must be landed whole with heads and fins intact; filleting at sea in federal Caribbean waters is prohibited 1

Do not spear

Prohibited species

  • Spiny lobster - may NOT be speared (hand, snare, or trap only); no egg-bearing females; 2/person/day recreational limit 1
  • Queen conch and whelk (West Indian top snail) - by hand only, never speared 1
  • Goliath grouper - harvest and possession prohibited year-round in the territory 1
  • Nassau grouper - harvest and possession prohibited year-round in the territory 1
  • Blue, Midnight, and Rainbow parrotfish - no harvest or possession (federal Caribbean rule, 50 CFR 622) 1
  • Sea turtles - endangered; no harvest, possession, or harassment of turtles or their eggs 1
  • Tarpon and bonefish - no harvest; catch-and-release with hook and line only, so not a legal spearfishing target 1
  • Seasonal closures (spearfishing during closed season is prohibited): red/black/tiger/yellowfin/yellowedge grouper (Feb 1-Apr 30); black/blackfin/silk/vermilion snapper (Oct 1-Dec 31, St. Thomas/St. John only); lane and mutton snapper (Apr 1-Jun 30 territory-wide) 1

Where you can't

Area restrictions

  • Virgin Islands National Park (St. John, 36 CFR 7.74): possession or use of spearfishing equipment within park boundaries is prohibited; only rod-and-reel, handline, and certain traps allowed; contact NPS at 340-776-6201 1
  • St. Croix East End Marine Park - No-Take Zone and Recreational Zone: spearfishing is prohibited (only limited shoreline line fishing allowed in the Recreational Zone) 1
  • Southeast St. Thomas Marine Reserves & Wildlife Sanctuaries (Inner Mangrove Lagoon, Cas Cay/Mangrove Lagoon, St. James, Compass Point Salt Pond): no fishing or take of any natural resource is allowed 1
  • Great Pond Bay, St. Croix (East End Marine Park No-Take Zone): all fishing prohibited 1
  • National Park swim zones (marked by white boat-exclusion buoys) and designated docks/piers: all fishing prohibited 1

Worth knowing

Notable rules, seasons & limits

  • Key contrast with the neighboring British Virgin Islands: the BVI bans spearguns outright, but the USVI does NOT - spearguns, pole spears, and Hawaiian slings are legal for finfish in open USVI territorial waters 1
  • A recreational license is now genuinely required and obtainable: the requirement dates to VI rules signed Oct 7 2022 but only became practically obtainable when the GoOutdoorsUSVI online system launched in August 2025. DPNR then ran a soft-launch and stated active enforcement would begin mid-2026 with advance notice - so a compliant visiting spearo should simply buy the license before diving (see 'The full story') 4567
  • Lobster, conch, and whelk are strictly hand-harvest only - spearing them is illegal even where finfish spearfishing is allowed 1
  • Fish must be landed whole (heads and fins intact) in territorial waters, which limits at-sea processing of speared catch 1
  • Two separate DPNR divisions matter: Fish & Wildlife handles licensing/biology; the Division of Environmental Enforcement handles on-water enforcement and permits (340-774-3320) 13

What divers here typically use

Gear up for U.S. Virgin Islands spearfishing

Most divers working U.S. Virgin Islands's coast start with a band speargun sized to the water and the fish they are after. Our honest guide to the Best Speargun for Beginners walks through what to look for — curated from published specs and community consensus, not paid placement.

If you break them

Penalties

General violations of the VI fishing rules and regulations are a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $500 or imprisonment for not more than six months (Title 12 V.I.C., Chapter 9A) 1. Gillnet/trammel-net violations carry a $1,000 fine 1. Federal EEZ violations are enforced by NOAA under 50 CFR 622 1.

Not yet independently confirmed — verify directly

  • Exact non-resident/visitor recreational license fee (the 90-day duration is documented, but the dollar amount could not be confirmed from a primary page that loaded; GoOutdoorsUSVI is a JavaScript app and did not render server-side)
  • Whether spearfishing while on SCUBA (vs. free-diving) is specifically permitted or restricted in USVI territorial waters - the DPNR handbook is silent; only hookah gear is expressly banned
  • Resident $15 fee and the full exemption list are drawn from DPNR's August 2025 announcement as surfaced via two independent news outlets (s5)(s7); they were not re-confirmed on a directly-loaded DPNR/GoOutdoorsUSVI page (that platform is a client-side JS app that renders empty to server-side fetch). The underlying license requirement itself IS confirmed by a primary DPNR press release (s6)
  • Exact date active enforcement of the recreational license begins - DPNR stated 'mid-2026' with advance public notice (s7) but did not publish a firm date; as of the July 2026 verification the enforcement ramp is contemporaneous, so treat the license as required in practice

Confirm these points directly with U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR), Division of Fish and Wildlife before you rely on them.

Primary sources

Sources

Every fact above is drawn from these official sources. Each was retrieved on the date shown; regulations can change after that date.

  2. Source 2: USVI DPNR Division of Fish & Wildlife - Commercial Fishing / agency contact page

    Retrieved July 5, 2026https://dpnr.vi.gov/fish-and-wildlife/fisher-resources/commercial-fishing/

  3. Source 3: USVI DPNR Division of Fish & Wildlife - division home page (agency name and mission)

    Retrieved July 5, 2026https://dpnr.vi.gov/fish-and-wildlife/

  4. Source 4: GoOutdoorsUSVI - official DPNR recreational fishing licensing system

    Retrieved July 5, 2026https://www.gooutdoorsusvi.com/

  5. Source 5: St. Thomas Source - 'New Recreational Fishing License System' (DPNR announcement coverage, Aug 21 2025)

    Retrieved July 5, 2026https://stthomassource.com/content/2025/08/21/new-recreational-fishing-license-system/

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

Is spearfishing legal in U.S. Virgin Islands?
Yes — spearfishing is legal in U.S. Virgin Islands's saltwater, but it is not permitted in fresh water, subject to license, gear, species, and area rules. The USVI is a Caribbean island territory whose fisheries are entirely marine. Spearfishing is defined and permitted in open territorial waters (0-3 nmi) for legal finfish. It is…
Do you need a license to spearfish in U.S. Virgin Islands?
Yes. U.S. Virgin Islands requires the USVI Recreational Fishing License (Individual Recreational Angler). Resident cost: $15 per year for residents (corroborated by two independent DPNR-announcement reports; not yet re-confirmed on a directly-loaded DPNR/GoOutdoorsUSVI page) Non-resident cost: Visitor license valid 90 days (3 months); exact fee not confirmed from a primary source
Can you spearfish on scuba in U.S. Virgin Islands?
DPNR's handbook contains no explicit rule allowing or prohibiting spearfishing while on SCUBA in territorial waters; however 'hookah' (surface-supplied air) gear may not be used to harvest marine resources in territorial waters. SCUBA-specific spearfishing legality is not…
What can't you spear in U.S. Virgin Islands?
Protected or no-take species you may not spear in U.S. Virgin Islands include: Spiny lobster, Queen conch and whelk, Goliath grouper, Nassau grouper, Blue, Midnight, and Rainbow parrotfish, Sea turtles, Tarpon and bonefish, Seasonal closures. Always check the full prohibited-species list and current seasons before diving, and confirm with U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR), Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Stay current

Get an email when U.S. Virgin Islands's size & bag limits change

Regulations shift between seasons. We re-check U.S. Virgin Islands's rules against the primary source and send a short note when the limits, seasons, or licensing move — nothing else.

No spam. Regulations updates, gear data drops, and the launch of the guide.

Last verified July 5, 2026. Regulations change — always confirm the current rules with U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR), Division of Fish and Wildlife before you dive.

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