Cobia
Rachycentron canadum
AKA: ling, lemonfish, crabcruncher
Description: Cobias have elongated, torpedo-shaped bodies with long depressed heads. The eyes are small and the snout is broad. The lower jaw projects past the upper jaw. Cobias are dark brown in color and have a darker, lateral stripe from the eye to the tail. Young cobias have alternating black and white horizontal stripes with splotches of bronze, cream and orange.
Size: Cobia grow to 6 feet and more than 100 pounds. There is a Cobia tagging program for the live release of fish measuring 33 inches and under.
Sometimes confused with: sharks, Remoras
Habitat: Cobias are a pelagic species normally solitary in nature except when spawning. They are found off the United States from Virginia south and throughout the Gulf of Mexico in both inshore and nearshore waters of the inlets and bays. Cobias prefer water temperatures between 68 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit. They migrate south to warmer waters during autumn and winter, and journey back north when temperatures rise again in the spring. They are commonly found near natural and manmade structures such as reefs, shelves, wrecks, buoys and oil rigs.
