Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) is a saltwater, brackish species recorded in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, United States. It is mainly found over reef, coral, rocky, sand, mud, estuary, mangrove, at depths of 0–1200 m. The main season in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, United States runs spring, autumn.
Scientific name: Rachycentron canadum · Water: Saltwater, Brackish · Season: Spring, Autumn
Size: up to 200 cm
Weight: up to 68 kg
The cobia is the only living member of the family Rachycentridae: an elongated fish with a broad, flattened head, a row of separate short dorsal spines, and a dark lateral stripe that fades soon after death. Names vary by region: it is cobia in the United States, where southern anglers also call it ling, lemonfish or crabeater, while Hong Kong knows it as 懵仔 and Taiwan as 海鱺. A warm-water coastal pelagic, it nonetheless enters estuaries and mangroves to hunt and habitually gathers around reefs, wrecks, buoys and drifting objects, sometimes following stingrays and sharks. Seasons differ sharply: autumn is the main window in Hong Kong and Singapore, Malaysia fishes it all year, and the United States takes it through spring, summer and autumn, because it winters in the Gulf of Mexico, moves north as the water warms, passes Florida around March and breeds from April to September, reaching as far as Massachusetts in summer. On the hook it is famously strong, making long runs and often prolonging the fight at boatside, so heavy tackle is the norm; Chesapeake Bay off Virginia is the best-known American fishery, while in Singapore it is one of the rarer targets, recorded by MFFA from Labrador Jetty and listed as near threatened in the national Red Data Book. Maximum about 200 cm total length and 68 kg, with Malaysian fish commonly 60–120 cm. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
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