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Cobia World
Record
~ 135 Lbs 9 oz. Caught at Shark Bay, W. Australia on July 9, 1985 by
angler Peter W. Goulding. Scientific
name
~ Rachycentron Canadum Other
names
~ Ling, cabio, lemonfish, crab eater, flathead, black salmon, black
kingfish, sergeant fish, runner , cubby yew Identification
~ The body is elongate and
torpedo-shaped with a long, depressed head. The eyes are small and the
snout is broad. The lower jaw projects past the upper jaw. The skin
looks smooth with very small embedded scales. Easily distinguished by
the first dorsal fin which is composed of 7-9 short, strong isolated
spines, not connected by a membrane. The body is dark brown to silver,
paler on the sides and grayish white to silvery below, with two narrow
dark bands extending from the snout to base of caudal fin. These dark
bands are bordered above and below by paler bands. Size
~ Angler caught Cobia can
reach weights of 50 to 90
pounds and 6 feet in length, although 3 foot
Cobia in the 15 pound range are the most common size that anglers
encounter. Cobia grow quickly and have a moderately long life span. Habitat
~ As a pelagic fish, cobia are found over the continental shelf as well
as around offshore reefs. It prefers to reside near any structure that
interrupts the open water such as pilings, buoys, platforms, anchored
boats, and flotsam. The cobia is also found inshore inhabiting bays,
inlets, and mangroves. The cobia is distributed worldwide in tropical,
subtropical and warm-temperate waters. In the western Atlantic Ocean
this pelagic fish occurs from Nova Scotia (Canada), south to Argentina,
including the Caribbean Sea. It is abundant in warm waters off the coast
of the US from the Chesapeake Bay south and through out the Gulf of
Mexico. Feeding
Habits
~ Cobia are known to often engulf their prey whole. They feed on
crustaceans, squid, and small fishes such as mullet, eels, jacks,
snappers, pinfish, croakers, grunts, and herring. A favorite food is
crabs, hence the common name of "crabeater". Cobia often
cruise in schools of 3 to fish, hunting for food during migrations in
shallow water along the shoreline.
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