NAPLES, Fla. — Are you looking to cash in on your catch of the day? Well, researchers are offering cash for catching cobia in September.
The FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) is looking to study the reproductive organs of harvested cobia. These samples will help researchers determine whether cobia spawn along Florida’s coasts or not. The data is part of a three-year project.
“They’re difficult to study on a large scale but we do know a little about their life history and about their population status,” said David Stormer, who teaches marine fisheries and ecology at Florida Gulf Coast University. “I think it’s really critical now that the state is conducting this effort that we understand more about the particular reproductive ecology of the species and how it fits into the changing ecosystem more broadly,” added Stormer.
Anglers who capture a cobia can arrange to meet with a biologist to get a $50 reward.
“If you’re catching cobia, please contact the state, get your $50, you can keep the carcass and eat the fillets and then provide the state with really critical information it needs to improve the management of the species,” Stormer explained.
FWRI provided a list of numbers to call if you catch a cobia:
- Southwest Florida (Naples-St. Petersburg) — 727-220-7108
- Southeast Florida (Ft. Lauderdale-Sebastian) — 561-510-5620
- Northwest Florida (St. Petersburg-Pensacola) — 727-685-7354
Cobia need to be kept whole or filleted carcass with organs intact on ice, according to the FWRI. Researchers asked those who catch a tagged cobia not to harvest it. Take a photo of the tag and report the tag number, fork length, date and approximate location of the catch to the corresponding number above.
Now anglers across Southwest Florida are ready to reel in the reward.
“I think it’s cool, it will get people out trying to catch them and then FWC gets to study the carcasses and learn more about the species,” said Vince Capuano, who has caught his fair share of cobia.
You can learn more about the research project by clicking here.