cobia
Rachycentron canadum
The cobia: a large, curious fish that follows rays, turtles, and floating objects. It fights hard and has some of the best meat from the sea.
Also called: beijupirá, bijupirá, pirabeju, cação-de-escama, cobia
- common size
- 70–120 cm
- maximum
- 200 cm
- common weight
- 5–20 kg
- record/max.
- 68.0 kg
- depth
- 1–100 m
- ideal water
- 22–29 °C
who is the cobia
The beijupirá (cobia) is the only member of the family Rachycentridae: an elongated fish with a flattened head that exceeds 1.5 m and 60 kg. It occurs in tropical and subtropical waters around almost the whole world and, in the western Atlantic, from Canada to Argentina. It uses very varied habitats: mud, sand, and gravel bottoms, reefs, rocky shores, mangroves, pilings, buoys, platforms, and floating objects, and sometimes enters estuaries. It often accompanies rays, sharks, and turtles. It eats crabs, fish, and squid and forms spawning aggregations in the warm months. Being solitary, it appears little in commercial fishing, but it is much sought by recreational anglers and spearfishers. It is also farmed in several countries.
fun facts
- It is the only living member of the family Rachycentridae.
- It often swims with manta rays, sharks, and turtles.
identification
Elongated, rounded body, broad flattened head, projecting lower jaw. Dark brown back with two narrow, well-defined silver stripes along the flank; yellowish belly. The first dorsal fin has seven to nine short, separate spines, with no membrane. In the water it looks like a small shark or a remora, but it has no suction disc on its head.
Loading the next 7 days…
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
where found
All along the coast, from Amapá to Rio Grande do Sul, from the shore to the shelf.
Habitat: Reefs, submerged reefs, wrecks, rocky shores, river mouths, oil platforms, and buoys; accompanies rays, turtles, sharks, and floating objects.
coast
states
Amapá, Pará, Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul
when to fish
best season
In the Southeast and South it is a warm-month fish, when it forms spawning aggregations; in the Northeast it appears all year.
best time of day
Daytime. Active by day; often comes up curious to see the boat.
what affects the cobia
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.
cold and cold fronts
Water below 20 °C greatly reduces activity.
atmospheric pressure
A cold front shuts down activity.
moon
Small effect.
rain
Not very sensitive.
water level
Does not depend on water level.
noise
Not very sensitive; often approaches boats and buoys.
wind
Calm seas make it easier to spot fish at the surface.
tide
Current around structures concentrates food.
depth
From the surface to 30 m for most catches.
how to fish
- rod
- 6'6" to 7'0", 30 to 50 lb
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- 6000 to 10000 spinning reel or high-profile baitcaster
- line
- braid 40 to 65 lb
- leader
- fluorocarbon 60 to 80 lb, 1.5 m
- hook
- circle 6/0 to 9/0
lures
- 2 to 4 oz bucktail jig
- 15 to 20 cm shads
- 60 to 150 g jigs
natural baits
- live baitfish (sardine, xixarro, carapau)
- lula
- caranguejo
accessories
- bicheiro
- alicate
- fighting belt
tip from an angler
When you spot a ray, a turtle, or floating debris, cast the bait nearby: cobia often come along and strike whatever drops in front of them.
rules for the cobia
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Conservation: Not on the national list (Portaria GM/MMA 1.667/2026). We found no specific federal rule for this species.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
It reaches the boat still strong and thrashes a lot: use a large landing net or release it in the water without bringing it aboard.
in the kitchen
White, firm, very tasty flesh; excellent grilled, in steaks, and raw (sashimi) if well kept.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.0049, b = 3.11; FishBase (estimativa bayesiana, comprimento total)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
The season weights (months), the time of day and the sensitivities (cold, pressure, moon, wind, rain, tide, strong light, murky water and noise) are the app's editorial estimates, based on the literature below and on the field experience of anglers and guides. They are not official data nor a measurement made for this species, and they may vary by region and year. Closed seasons and legal rules appear in the rules section, with the norm and a link.
- scientific FishBase — Rachycentron canadum (ficha da espécie)Names, distribution, biology, length-weight relationship and references. Page checked on October 13, 2026.
- official Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667, de 27 de abril de 2026 — Lista Nacional Oficial de Espécies da Fauna Ameaçadas de Extinção (peixes e invertebrados aquáticos)Most recent national list. The species is not on it (search by scientific name in the text published in the DOU, checked on October 13, 2026).
- official ICMBio/SALVE — Ficha de Rachycentron canadum (avaliação nacional do risco de extinção)ICMBio national assessment, published in 2026. DOI checked on Crossref.
- scientific IUCN Red List — Rachycentron canadum (avaliação global: Pouco Preocupante, LC, 21/08/2012)Global assessment. Link given on the FishBase entry (Red List, version 2025-2).
- scientific Shaffer, R. V.; Nakamura, E. L. (1989). Synopsis of biological data on the cobia Rachycentron canadum (Pisces: Rachycentridae). NOAA Technical Report NMFS 82; FAO Fisheries Synopsis 153.Synthesis of the species' biology. Printed work; the URL is the bibliographic record in FishBase, which cites this work for the species.
- scientific Szpilman, M. (2000). Peixes marinhos do Brasil: guia prático de identificação. Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Ecológico Aqualung. 288 p.Printed work; the URL is the bibliographic record on FishBase, which cites this work for the species.
- scientific Menezes, N. A.; Buckup, P. A.; Figueiredo, J. L.; Moura, R. L. (orgs.) (2003). Catálogo das espécies de peixes marinhos do Brasil. São Paulo: Museu de Zoologia da USP. 160 p.List of marine species recorded in Brazil. Printed work; the URL is the bibliographic record in FishBase, which cites this work for the species.