Name:

Cobia (Rachycentron canadum)—also known as black kingfish, black salmon, ling, lemonfish, crabeaters, aruan tasek, etc.—are the sole representative of their family, the Rachycentridae.

 

Appearance:

Cobia look almost like sharks in the ocean. The usual color is brown or dark gray above, and a white bottom, with a dark stripe running from the gill to the tail. The striped appearance is more vivid in juveniles. There are several sharp finlets on the dorsal surface extended from behind the head to the dorsal fin.

 

Size:

Cobia can attain a maximum length of 2 metres (78 inches) and maximum weight of 68 kilograms (150 pounds) in the wild.

 

Distribution:
Cobia are distributed worldwide in tropical and subtropical waters, but absent in the eastern Pacific and the Pacific Plate, except marginally. They can be found in the Western Atlantic form the USA to Argentina, including the Gulf of Mexico and the entire Caribbean. Cobia can be found in the Eastern Atlantic from Morocco to South Africa and in the Indo-West Pacific from East Africa to Japan and Australia.

 

Habitat:

Cobia occur in a variety of habitats; over mud, sand and gravel bottoms; over coral reefs, off rocky shores and in mangrove sloughs; inshore around pilings and buoys, and offshore around drifting and stationary objects; and occasionally in estuaries.

 

Diet:

In the wild, cobia feeds on crabs, fish and squid.

 

Reproduction:

Cobia spawn during the warm months in the western Atlantic; Cobia are broadcast spawners and their eggs and larvae are planktonic.

 

Commercial Fishery Status:

Cobia are caught in small quantities due to its solitary behavior. More Cobia is caught in the USA by recreational fisherman than by commercial fisheries.

 

Additional Cobia Facts can be found at www.fishbase.org