Establishment and closure of the directed Florida whiting (Menticirrhus americanus) fishery and implications for North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) conservation and management

Today, ocean and coastal marine resource management is extremely complex. Marine resource managers are charged with conserving and managing many diverse species. Southern kingfish (Menticirrhus americanus), commonly known as whiting, are found from southern New England to Florida. During the fall through winter, western North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) are primarily found in the coastal nearshore waters off South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, overlapping the whiting's range and habitat. In January 2006, a right whale calf was discovered dead, as a result of gillnet entanglement, in close proximity to the Florida commercial whiting fishing grounds; thus, to assist the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) with developing appropriated right whale conservation management measures, this study evaluated the newly established commercial Florida whiting fishery. Findings revealed that the whiting fishery was established in 2004 and the fishery was prosecuted during the time and area where right whales were found. Moreover, the study found that whiting landings, market value, catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE), dealers, and fishing effort significantly increased during 2000 through 2005. As a result of the right whale calf mortality and threat of gillnet gear to whales, the NMFS prohibited the use of gillnet gear in the US southeastern waters, which inevitably closed the newly established whiting fishery.