Recommendation: Staff recommends that cobia be designated as a Restricted Species effective January 1, 2001. The basis for this recommendation is discussed below.

Background

Cobia are part of the Coastal Pelagics Fishery Management Plan and are managed jointly by the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils. The federal regulations, which apply from Texas to New York, consist of a 33 inch fork length minimum size and a two cobia per person bag limit. Minimum size limits and bag limits, which are the same for recreational and commercial harvesters, were originally imposed in 1983 and 1990, respectively. Florida's regulations are identical to the federal regulations.

Biological information has been relatively sparse historically, but during the last decade researchers at Mote Marine Lab, the University of Southern Mississippi, and elsewhere have developed new information on age, growth, reproduction, and migration. The lack of adequate life history information has always been an impediment to conducting a stock assessment, as has the relatively sparse catch data that is a consequence of a comparatively small harvest, at least by number. With more life history information now available, NMFS has committed to provide a new stock assessment by April 2001.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has received complaints about cobia harvest and management, and consequently they voted to begin working on a plan amendment addressing cobia. Also they have also recently written to each state asking them to prohibit all recreational sales, but the original context for this request was recreational cobia sales and complaints about said sales. The Council directed their staff to begin developing options on cobia management, but that may not occur until early next year.

The Fisheries

FMRI has summarized cobia biology and landings in Florida and an abbreviated version is included here as Attachment 1. The summary also includes an analysis of alternative bag limits. Briefly, Florida commercial landings have averaged about 240,000 per year over the last five years, with the Gulf coast providing 62% of those landings. Recreational landings are 85% of the total harvest, and average nearly 1,391,000 pounds during the same five years. Within the recreational fishery, private boats harvest more fish than do charter boats.

Problems and Issues

The present status of the cobia stock(s) is not known with confidence though the stable landings have led scientists to conclude that the fishery is probably operating near maximum sustainable yield (MSY). The spawning potential ratio for cobia is not known. There are not a good estimates of either present stock size, MSY, or the spawning stock size required to generate MSY. These may be available from NMFS in spring 2001. Anecdotal accounts indicate that the stock is in better condition now than it was prior to size and bag limits.

The main public complaint about cobia, which stems principally from Northwest Florida, is that Florida has never made cobia a Restricted Species, and therefore any recreational harvester can sell his/her catch by obtaining a Saltwater Products License ($50/person or $100/boat). Cobia are seasonally abundant near shore in Northwest Florida in spring and many recreational fishermen and charter boats are reported to target them just to sell. Opponents of this practice allege that "recreational" sales significantly reduce the abundance of the schools, and there is consequently a conflict with other fishermen. Cobia and dolphin are the only two finfish species of significant commercial/recreational interest that Florida has never designated as Restricted Species. To get a Restricted Species endorsement a fisherman would have to demonstrate that he or she had earned at least $5000 or 25% of gross income (whichever is less) from selling saltwater products.

Staff recommends that cobia be designated as a Restricted Species. An effective date of January 1, 2001 should have a positive effect on the Northwest Florida fishery that operates next spring.

If the Commission wants to consider further action on cobia, FMRI has also provided a bag limit analysis. That analysis indicates that lowering the bag limit to a single fish would lower harvest by 11-12% if all fishermen obeyed it. Reductions beyond that would also require boat limits or an increase in size limits. If the Commission wants to consider greater reduction, we can ask FMRI to provide a more detailed analysis of size, bag, and boat limits. At this point the Commission needs to be aware that cobia are a migratory species and tagging studies by the University of Southern Mississippi demonstrate extensive migrations including some between the Gulf and Atlantic. Therefore, any anticipated biological benefits resulting from bag limit reductions in Florida will be diluted by emigration. However, further restrictions on bag limit or size limit could still be useful in solving local allocation problems that might exist.

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