SPECIES PRESENTATION: COBIA

Sarah Betbeze7/10/13

Taxonomy

Rachycentron canadum Family Rachycentridae

courtesy NOAA

The market

Top producing countries: China and Taiwan Province of China (P.C.)

Taiwan P.C. Production costs = ~$2.20/kg in 2001 Market value is based on size

7.7 kg (17 lbs.) or more $5.50/kg in 2004 for whole fish Taiwan keeps 8-10 kg cobia and sells them whole. 6-8 kg cobia are sent to Japan. Fillets usually sent to other countries

Other countries where cobia aquaculture occurs: Bahamas, Belize, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Philippines,

Puerto Rico, USA, and Vietnam

Life Cycle

Egg larva juvenile adult Spawning season in G.O.M. = April through

September Every 9-12 days, 15-20 times Dispense eggs and sperm into the water; fertilization

occurs Larvae hatch ~24-36 hours following fertilization Day 30 – Juvenile already has markings and coloration of

adult cobia

Age during first spawning season Males ---- about 1-2 yrs old Females ---- about 2-3 yrs old

Reproduction in captivity

Broodstock caught in wild during normal spawning season

Spawning Can be stimulated in 2 ways:

Hormones Controlling photoperiod and water temperature

www.fao.org www.lib.noaa.gov

Production Methods

Hatcheries, nurseries, and grow-out cages employed

Larvae raised in “greenwater” nursery ponds Until day 20

Days 20-45 Introduced to buoyant, pelleted food; reach 2-5g

Days 45-75 Moved to bigger ponds; reach 30g

Days 75-150/180 Moved to even bigger ponds or near-shore cages where

they reach 1.3-2.2 lbs. Moved to grow-out cages

13-22 lbs.

www.fao.org

Production methods cont.

Food

Favorite dish: swimming crabs Opportunistic carnivores

Fish, crab, shrimp, squid Taiwan P.C.

Feed cobia sinking and buoyant pellets 6 days a week

Blue crab --- naturelssi.comSquid ---- dpi.nsw.gov.auShrimp ----- fishwatch.govCobia ---- seasquaredcharters.com

Requirements in Culture

Dissolved Oxygen At least 5ppm (mg/L)

pH When spawning ----- ~7.8

Water temperature >79 degrees Fahrenheit (26 degrees Celsius)

Pros and Cons

Pros Quick growth rate Good FCR Fantastic flesh quality Limited wild population Can handle a large variety of salinities

Cons Difficult to obtain trash fish to feed them Pond cultures have potential to cause water quality problems

& excess nutrient loading in the outflowing water Prone to diseases

Sources Bester, Cathleen. "FLMNH Ichthyology Department: Cobia." FLMNH

Ichthyology Department: Cobia. Florida Museum of Natural History, n.d. Web. 01 July 2013. <http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/cobia/cobia.html>.

Kaiser, Jeffrey B., and Joan Holt. "Species Profile: Cobia." Southern Regional Aquaculture Center, Aug. 2005. Web. June 2013. <https://srac.tamu.edu/index.cfm/event/getFactSheet/whichfactsheet/180/ >.

Perschbacher, Peter, Dr. "Rachycentridae." Rachycentridae. Aquaculture/Fisheries Center, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, n.d. Web. 06 July 2013. <http://www.uaex.edu/pperschbacher/Fish/Cobia.htm>.

"Rachycentron Canadum." FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture Department. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2013. Web. June 2013. <http://www.fao.org/fishery/culturedspecies/Rachycentron_canadum/en>.