Cobia

Cobia, also known as black kingfish, black salmon or lemonfish, is a long and slim fish with a spindle
shaped body. It has a broad depressed head with small eyes and a protruding lower jaw. Its smooth
body is covered with small scales, their dark brown coloration grades to white on the belly while their
flanks are characterized by two darker brown horizontal bands. A very distinguishing feature is the black
lateral band, that runs at about eye level along the length of the body to the tail. Its large pectoral fins
are normally carried horizontally, which is why they can be mistaken for sharks.

Endemic species
Cobia can attain a maximum length of 2 metres (78 inches) and a maximum weight of 68 kilograms (150
pounds). An average sized fish will weigh between 20 and 40 pounds. They can reach a maximum age of
15 years in the wild and they feed of many different species, from fish to squids to shrimps to crabs.Cobia
prefer water temperatures between 68 deg.F (20 C) and 86 deg. F. (30 C) and can be found in the warmer
waters around the world. As Cobia have been found in the waters around the Dutch Caribbean islands, they
can be considered an endemic species.

Culinary
Cobia is a relatively unknown among fish eaters, except sports fishermen. It was not until the 1990s that
commercial spawning of Cobias took off, in Taiwan. Cobia has since become very popular, especially in
Asia as a fish species that can reach up to 6 kilograms within one year. In the past couple of decades Cobia
has been gaining ground in the culinary market as a remarkably tasty, healthy and versatile fish.
For more information, please check the Culinary section on this website.