Several changes to the Gulf of Mexico cobia fishery take effect this week.

Several changes to the Gulf of Mexico cobia fishery take effect this week.

Cobia is currently open year-round and has a minimum size limit of 33 inches fork length and a recreational daily bag limit of one fish per person from state waters with a maximum of six fish per vessel.

Under new rules that will take effect on February the 1^st, the commercial bag limit for cobia in Gulf state waters will be reduced from 2 fish to 1 fish per day, the same as the recreational limit.

The recreational and commercial vessel limit in Gulf state waters will both be reduced from six to two cobia per vessel, per day.

The current 33-inch minimum size limit will not change.

The FWC also agreed to create a Gulf/Atlantic management boundary defining all state waters north of the Monroe-Collier county line as “Gulf state waters” for purposes of managing cobia.

The rule changes were approved by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission last year after numerous concerns were voiced by fishermen, especially in the panhandle area of the state. 

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