Keith Lusher 09.15.23
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is in search of Cobia and is asking for help from local fisherman. Researchers with the FWC are interested in sampling the reproductive organs of harvested cobia in order to collect information to determine if and where they spawn along Florida’s coasts. The organization is willing to pay $50 to anglers who harvest cobra in September.
“It’s as simple as that, folks. If you caught ‘em, we want ‘em, and we’ll even throw in a $50 bounty!” the FWC stated on its public Facebook page.
In order for the cobia to be eligible for the reward, researchers ask that it remain whole or be a filleted carcass with the organs of the fish intact. The fish must also be kept cool on ice.
During this time the FWC is reminding anglers that cobra are currently being tagged with caustic transmitters along the coast. If you reel in a tagged cobia, you are still in the running for a reward, but researchers discourage the harvesting of an already-tagged cobia.
If you do catch a tagged cobia, the FWC asks that you call in the tag number, date, and location it was caught and fork length.
The data that is being collected is part of a three-year-long FWC project being conducted to understand the reproductive habits of the fish off the coasts of Florida.
Three different locations have been assigned for anglers who catch a cobia in different locations:
- Southeast Florida (Fort Lauderdale-Sebastian): 561-510-5620
- Southwest Florida (Naples-St. Petersburg): 727-220-7108
- Northwest Florida (St. Petersburg-Steinhatchee): 727-685-7354
The $50 bounty will last from March to September 2023/2024.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Offers $50 For Every Cobia Brought In
