172 lb Cobia

[Shark Hunter]

The Bottle says Zinfandel. That's what Troglodytes Drink. Just following suit ole buddy.

[Tightlines667]

With regards to the ethics behind spear fishing for giant fish, my thoughts are:
Catching (and harvesting) fish, by any Miriad of 'acceptable' methods must always done in a manner that is both sustainable and ethically sound.  While we have many forms of guidance in this matter (federel, state, and locale-specific regulations and codes of conduct, particuarily within the US) which spell out or govern 'acceptable' and sustainable practices, ultimately the responsability lies with the individual doing the 'catching'.  I firmly believe that sustainable fishing practices based on sound science can include many methods (Free-dive spear fishing, scuba spear fishing, aquarium trade-based harvesting, rod and reel, net, pole and line, harpoon, trot line, bouy-n-line, bandit reel, seine, and many others).  I grew up, and still practice catch-and-release sportfishing, but work for the federel government as a fisheries biologist whose job it is to assisit with the proper management of the US-based Pacific longline fisheries.  It's easy to defend your own method as being sound and easier still to point the finger at other methodologies as being unsound, but I think it's important to stick to hard facts and sound science.  Sound and sustainable wildlife and fisheries management is often most effectively practiced through the use of many tools or methods.  I may not think its very 'sporting' or ethical to catch fish via many of the accepted methods, but that doesn't make them harmful or unsustainable to the fish species targeted, or the ecosystem affected.  It's true that typically taking the largest/oldest members of a given species population will likely have the greatest immediate impact on recruitment, sometimes too much recruitment can limit future survivability or scew the age-class structure for a given species.  Sometimes taking too many young fish can be a bigger problem then harvesting a few if the older individuals.  Typically, (ESP. W/most tuna spp.) most species can sustain harvesting if medium sized/aged individuals that have already sucessfully spawned at least once.  Though sometimes if a population is suffering from too little of the older individuals, the medium sized guys need protection for a time.   Other times, really good recruitment can lead to too many small immature individuals (which creates too much competition for limited prey resources), and these small guys need to be thined or future recruitment will be severely affected.  There are differences to consider between species, populations, and locales.  Some methods of harvesting are more 'sporting' some are more 'commercial-oriented', and some methods are more 'targeted' while others are more 'general' (shotgun approach), but most are sustainable if managed effectively.   Some might argue, for instance that spear fishing is a more sustainable practice then hook and line, because you can always xhise your exact target fish.  As a pole and line fishermen you can't always chose what fish is gonna get hooked, and you may be able to chose what fish you release, but sometimes you can not control post-release survivability.  We all like to believe that all fish released, that swim away strongly will live to grow up and fight another day, but actually this is often not the case (post-release survivability can vary widely depending on many factors including lactic acid buildup, stress, O2 levels, muscle-tissue trama, baratrauma, and damage to bones/joints/gills/vessels/other tissues).  Part of sound ethical fishing practices include recognizing when it's better to keep a fish, and when it's best to release it (and to use proper techniques to try to ensure survivability).  Every species, and population is a but different too.  Another consideration is that not all sustainable practices are necessarily 'ethical' as dictated by our culture...for instance the South Pacific Minke Whale population is nearing what many scientist believe to be a maximum effective carrying capacity, biologically speaking, but most people are not comfortable with the notion of killing whales.  Same goes for our friends the California sea lion.  This can get further complicated by sub population-level differences..like Stellrr Sea Lions need protection accriss most of their range, but there are a few small/local populations that are having a negative impact on their ecosystem.  I think in most cases we should trust the scientist and managers and follow the regulations that exist to protect the resources.  In general a good rule of thumb with regards to harvesting marine resources is to stick to taking species with high local abundance, widespread distribution.  Shorter lived, highly fecund species can typically sustain greater removal rates, and avoiding targeting the oldest/largest, and the youngest/non-sexually mature individuals within a population will be most sustainable.  Unfortunately, for many of us (myself included), we may want to keep that trophy fish of a lifetime, or the one species that is a 'rarer' catch locally. 

I'm not professing to have all the answers, just thought I would share a few of my thoughts regarding sustainable fishing practices from a fisheries biologist standpoint.

Sorry bout the long post, And just so I'm clear...
I'm not trying to stir up any controversy here.

[wallacewt]

I don't have a problem if he eats it,
don't kill anything youre not gunna eat
except aussie flies,ticks,the bloke next
door that snores

[saltydog]

I've done my fair share of killin Cobes but they are one fish that goes well with some Zin and a big helping of grilled green beans with a shot of lemon juice. My biggest was a 101# and I saw a 132# caught but that fish was a beast that even a 12/0 would have to show respect.

[Chris Gatorfan]

Good pointy Salty. You know people always talk about how hard fighting the Jack Family is in our oceans, But when it comes to them Cobia, they are straight up Bulldogs.They will fight you till the very end everytime.

[conchydong]

Good pointy Salty. You know people always talk about how hard fighting the Jack Family is in our oceans, But when it comes to them Cobia, they are straight up Bulldogs.They will fight you till the very end everytime.

X2 Some of the biggest fights with a Cobia occurs when you gaff a green one and he slips off the Gaff before he makes into the box. All hell breaks loose in the cockpit. They can tear up a boat.

[Tightlines667]

They may act calm and collected boat side but they can change in an instant once properly 'motivated'.  Cobia deserve to be treated with respect.  Their bulldog-like demeanor remind me of Oceanic White-tip Sharks.  They may not always be the first ones to the party, but everyone takes notice when they show up.

As I recall, they are also delicious!