Notes: LIMIT OF PRIVATE VESSELS for recreational purposes (All vessels not involved in a rental vessel): From May 1st to June 30th, they may own one (1) Cobia per person per day or two (2) Cobia per vessel per day, whichever is lower; From July 1 to December 31, one (1) Cobia may be owned per vessel per day. This chapter establishes ownership, season, and minimum size restrictions for cobia and amberjack in Virginia waters. C. It is illegal for a recreational cobia permit tea not to report forms provided by the Commission or the Virginia Saltwater Fisherman`s Journal. Reports include the MRC identification number, date of catch, type of fishery, number of cobia held or released and, if fishing from a vessel, the number of people on board. A recent stock assessment revealed that the Cobia stock is prone to overfishing and therefore a reduction in the current harvest is necessary. These changes for commercial and recreational fishers in state and federal waters are necessary to end overfishing, improve stock levels, and secure future cobia fishing opportunities. One. It is illegal for anyone fishing for recreational purposes to own more than one cobia at a time. In the case of fishing from a recreational craft where all catches are stored in a common hold or container, the retention of title of the recreational craft shall be equal to the number of persons legally authorised to fish on board multiplied by one, unless there is a maximum limit for recreational craft of two cobia per pleasure craft per day. The master or operator of the pleasure craft is responsible for limiting the ownership of the pleasure craft.
Any cobia caught after reaching the possession limit must be released immediately. C. It is illegal for any cobia produced by an aquaculture facility inside or outside the Commonwealth of Virginia to be placed in Commonwealth waters without first notifying the Commissioner and obtaining written permission from the Commissioner. One. Any person operating an aquaculture facility where cobias over the property line or smaller in size is grown, owned, offered for sale or sold must first obtain a permit from the Commissioner for the facility. This permit exempts the installation from the ownership requirements outlined in sections 4VAC20-510-20, 4VAC20-510-25 and 4VAC20-510-30 and authorizes the possession, cultivation and sale of smaller Cobians. C. It is illegal for anyone to extract, harvest, land or possess Cobia for commercial purposes once the Commission has announced that the commercial quota for the current calendar year has been landed. 2. Each permit holder shall report the voyages for which Cobia was targeted but failed to be captured by midnight on October 6 of the calendar year in question. 18) September 15, 2021: A VMRC Facebook post announced the end of the recreational cobia season, reminded anglers of mandatory reporting requirements, and directed anglers to the Recreational Fishing for Cobia educational website in Virginia for all their reporting needs. Cobia migrates seasonally and can be found in the northern Gulf from March to October and in the southern Gulf and southern Florida from November to March.
In the Gulf, spawning occurs in coastal waters from April to September at temperatures between 73–82°F (23–28°C). Cobia, ready to spawn, shows a white horizontal stripe on each side of the body. The eggs are located in the upper meter (3 feet) of the water column, drift with currents and hatch within an estimated 36 hours. From May to September, larvae are commonly found in surface waters and sometimes at depths of up to 300 m (984 ft), where they are likely to feed on zooplankton. The larvae move after about 25 days as juveniles in coastal and offshore waters, often guided by currents, and feed on small fish, octopus and shrimp. Adult cobia are found in coastal and offshore waters at depths of up to 70 m (230 ft). Adults feed on fish and crustaceans, including crabs. Rental vessels (during the operation of for-hire vessels in accordance with G.S 113-174) from May 1 to December 31 may have one (1) cobia per person per day or four (4) cobia per vessel per day, whichever is lower. Why does the minimum size only change in the Gulf? 7) May 28, 2021: A VMRC Facebook post informing anglers about the new recreational cobia season, ownership restrictions, reporting deadline and who should and shouldn`t have a recreational cobia license. The final regime of Amendment 7 to the Gulf of Mexico-Atlantic Migratory Pelagic Coastal Resource Management Plan Framework will increase the minimum recreational and commercial size of Cobia in the Gulf Area (see map) from 33 inches fork length to 36 inches fork length. Why did the Gulf Council ask for this size reduction? As a member of the fishing community, it is your responsibility to know and understand the regulations and requirements of the species you are targeting. VMRC staff have made numerous attempts to inform the angling public of the mandatory reporting requirements for the Cobia Recreation Licence throughout the 2021 fishing year, including: The purpose of this chapter is to control harvest, protect spawning stocks, minimize the possibility of recruitment errors, and increase the yield of amberjack and cobia fisheries.
