Here’s a pretty cool research tidbit from Gray Fish Tag Research, an organization that tags varied species worldwide to keep track of their movements. A tagged cobia named “Cathy” was recently caught off of Key West, 152 miles and 452 days after being originally caught and tagged off Key Biscayne.
Cathy was originally tagged and released by John Ozer on Dec. 16, 2015, while fishing with legendary Capt. Bouncer Smith a few miles southeast of Key Biscayne. The Cobia was caught on live bait and measured 28 inches, with an approximate weight of 6 pounds.
Incredibly, on March 13, 2017, one year and three months later, that same cobia was recaptured by Capt. Jimmy Jones of the boat “Little Gigger.” The fish was in excellent condition, and it had grown to about 37 inches in length.
The recapture took place about 11 miles west of Key West and approximately 152 miles from the original tag location. Cobia are known to be highly mobile, so Gray Fish Tag Research could not draw any conclusions of where Cathy went during the 452 days. What they do know is the fish was back in the warm coastal waters of South Florida and the Florida Keys.
Just imagine what Cathy was up to over the nearly year and a half from her first capture. Gray Fish Tag Research is seeking funding for satellite tags that will tell them exactly where she went between the original capture and recapture.
For more information and more amazing tag stories, go to grayfishtagresearch.org.