Researchers want to determine if this U.S. wild-caught fish is spawning on Florida coasts
Researchers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is asking local fishermen for help.
The organization is offering a bounty of $50 to anyone who harvests cobia fish in the month of September, the FWC shared on its website.
If you catch a cobia fish and meet with a biologist, you are entitled to a share of the winnings.
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"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.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is asking the public for help — the organization is offering a bounty to anyone who harvests a cobia in the month of September. (iStock)
A team at the FWC is looking to sample the reproductive organs of cobia that have been harvested.
"This data will allow scientists to determine if and where cobia are spawning along Florida’s coast," the FWC shared online.
In order for your catch to be eligible for the reward, the fish must either remain whole or it can be a filleted carcass with the organs of the fish intact. The fish must be kept cool on ice, the FWC continued.
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Cobia are being tagged with acoustic transmitters along the coast of Florida.
"Data collected by acoustic receivers along the coasts allows researchers to track cobia movements and learn more about the spawning migrations of the Gulf and Atlantic stocks," the FWC stated online.
If you reel in a tagged cobia, you are still in the running for a reward and a shirt, but researchers discourage the harvesting of an already-tagged cobia.
The FWC asks that you report the tag number, fork length, date and location to a team in your region.
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"Releasing tagged cobia will allow researchers to continue gathering valuable data," the organization shared.
The FWC is ready to pay anyone $50 who brings in a harvest cobia, as researchers are working to "sample the reproductive organs of harvest cobia," according to the FWC's Facebook. (iStock)
The FWC has different locations you can contact if you catch a cobia in your region.
The data being produced on behalf of the researchers is a part of the FWC's three-year long project to understand the reproductive habits off the coasts of Florida, the FWC's Facebook post added.
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If you are in southeast Florida, contact the Ft. Lauderdale - Sebastian office.
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People in southwest Florida can reach out to the Naples - St. Petersburg team.
The FWC is researching if and where cobia spawn along the coast of Florida, and they need the help of the public. (iStock)
Those in northwest Florida can contact the St. Petersburg - Steinhatchee office.
"Cobia are the only member of the family Rachycentridae in North America. They grow up to 6 feet and 100 pounds and live up to 12 years," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
In the U.S., cobia are typically found in Virginia south through the Gulf of Mexico. They migrate seasonally in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic, where they move toward warmer waters in late autumn and winter months, the NOAA states on its website.
If a fisherman were to harvest a previously tagged cobia, they are to return the acoustic transmitter and plastic dart tags to the FWC in Tequesta, the FWC noted.
The $50 bounty will last from March to September 2023/2024.
Fox News Digital reached out to the FWC for comment.
Sydney Borchers is a lifestyle production assistant with Fox News Digital.
