Fisheries & Aquaculture

A cobia caught this June gives fisheries managers hope that the species could be a candidate for stock enhancement. Since its release, the hatchery-raised and tagged fish has three round-trips between the Chesapeake Bay and Florida Keys, doubled in size, and gotten caught at least twice.

“This is a very important recapture,” says Oesterling. “This one fish shows that cobia raised in a tank and fed pellet food will survive and behave as if they were wild fish when they’re released.”