Marine - Species - Southern Kingfish (Whiting)

Recreational Fishery in SC

Total recreational catch was relatively low throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s but increased significantly from 2003-2009. After 2009, catches decreased, but still remained higher than the 1981-2000 time period. The 10 year average is high compared to most years of the survey due to the elevated catches from 2003-2009, which included 7 of the previous 10 years. There was no apparent reason for the elevated catches during these years.

Commercial landings for southern kingfish are limited in recent years with reported landings occurring from 1978-2003. Commercial landings peaked in the 1980’s and declined through 2003. The most recent 10 year average for commercial landings (1993-2003) was 55,736 live pounds.

The recreational catch data is provided by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), which conducts phone and angler-intercept surveys to monitor angler activities and catches. For more information see: https://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/.

The commercial fisheries data is provided by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), which compiles commercial information provided by state agencies. For more information, see: https://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/.

Additional Graph Information

Commercial and recreational catches are measured in number of individuals or pounds of fish caught. Changes in catch among years may be the result of changes in abundance, fishing effort, or a combination of the two.

On each graph, the horizontal dotted lines above or below the "10 year average" represent one "standard deviation" unit, which is a measure of how variable the annual data are around the 10-year average. In general, the area between one standard deviation above the mean and one standard deviation below the mean includes approximately 68% of all values. Approximately 95% of observations in the data set are found within two standard deviation units of the average and is referred to as the prediction interval.