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Species Presentation: Cobia. Sarah Betbeze 7/10/13. 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
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Species Presentation: Cobia Sarah Betbeze 7/10/13
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
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.com Squid ---- dpi.nsw.gov.au Shrimp ----- fishwatch.gov Cobia ---- 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>.