black river — st. elizabeth (lower morass)
Mouth of the Black River and the Lower Morass, a Ramsar site on Jamaica's south coast. Snook in the mangroves and river bends, from a small boat.
The Black River flows into the Caribbean at the town of the same name, capital of St. Elizabeth, on Jamaica's south coast. Before its mouth it crosses the Black River Lower Morass, a Ramsar site since 1997 and one of the country's largest freshwater wetlands, with mangroves, reedbeds, flooded forests and shallow channels. The Ramsar record for the marsh lists snook and other marine fish that use the mangroves for part of their lives, such as jacks and snapper. Tarpon (camurupim), common in Jamaican estuaries, may show up in the channels and at the mouth. Fishing is from small boats, with artificial or live bait, along mangrove roots, river bends and the mouth. The river is home to the American crocodile. The town was devastated by Hurricane Melissa in October 2025 and is being rebuilt.
best season
Fishing all year. From December to April, in the driest season, estuary water tends to run clearer; May and September to November are the wettest, and hurricanes run from June to November.
Local rules: Under the Fisheries Act 2018, fishing from a boat requires an individual license from the National Fisheries Authority (NFA), requested through the IrieFins platform, plus a boat license; only simple line fishing from a river bank or beach is exempt. The river and the Lower Morass lie within the Black River Protected Area, declared on December 27, 2021 under the Natural Resources Conservation Act (NRCA), and the Lower Morass is a Ramsar site. The Galleon St. Elizabeth Fish Sanctuary, west of the mouth, is a fish sanctuary: fishing is banned. Check local rules.
- getting there
- On Jamaica's south coast, via the A2 highway, between Mandeville and Savanna-la-Mar. International airports at Montego Bay and Kingston. On the river, only by boat with a local operator.
- facilities
- Before the hurricane there were tour boats on the river, a fishermen's beach and guesthouses. With the town still cleaning up and rebuilding, check who is operating before you go.
- country
- St. Elizabeth, Jamaica
tip
Fish from the boat, away from the bank: there are crocodiles in the river and the marsh. For snook, work the lure tight to the mangrove roots on the falling tide.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
what you can catch here
before you fish in Jamaica
Under the Fisheries Act, 2018, anyone fishing in Jamaican waters needs a license from the National Fisheries Authority (NFA), and the boat used in recreational fishing needs a recreational fishing vessel licence, valid for up to 12 months. Only those who fish solely with one line from the beach or a river bank, and those who fish in a lake within a single private property, are exempt from the license. Tournaments need NFA permission. The consulted rules don't give amounts or a separate license for tourists: on a charter boat, confirm with the operator that the boat and angler licenses are in order.
- Lobster: closed season from April 1 to June 30 each year. Catching egg-bearing lobster or lobster with a carapace under 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) is prohibited all year.
- In fish sanctuaries (Special Fishery Conservation Areas), such as Bogue Island Lagoon and Montego Point (Montego Bay), Bluefields Bay, Orange Bay, Discovery Bay, Oracabessa Bay, Galleon Harbour and Three Bays, fishing is prohibited.
- Fishing without the required license, or outside its conditions, is an offense under the Fisheries Act, 2018 (art. 25).
The rules and closed seasons in the rest of the app are Brazilian. Outside Brazil, the regulations of the country and province apply: confirm with the official agency.
sources and references
Access, facilities and season information changes: check with the lodge, a local guide or the city hall before you travel.
- official National Fisheries Authority — 5,615 Fishing Licences Processed Through NFA IrieFins Online Platform (13 de fevereiro de 2025)License required for the angler and the boat, through the IrieFins platform; exemption only for simple line on the beach or riverbank
- official Overarching Policy for Jamaica's Protected Areas System (abril de 2026), publicada pela National Fisheries AuthorityBlack River Protected Area declared on December 27, 2021 (NRCA), 204.82 km²; Appendix V: Galleon St. Elizabeth Fish Sanctuary (Crawford), declared in 2009 and managed by the BREDS Foundation
- official Ramsar Sites Information Service — Black River Lower Morass (sítio 919)Designated on October 7, 1997; American crocodile habitat; the full record lists snook (Centropomus undecimalis), jacks and snapper. Tarpon does not appear in the record's list
- official JIS — Tourism Officials Hail Decision to Place UDC in Charge of Black River Clean-Up (15 de dezembro de 2025)The town of Black River was devastated by Hurricane Melissa on October 28, 2025; cleanup is handled by the UDC