North Carolina Marine Fisheries Proclamation FF-10-2018 opens the recreational cobia fishery and maintains the season for the commercial cobia fishery.

The recreational season for cobia will re-open at 12:01 a.m., May 1, 2018 and will remain open through Dec. 31, 2018.

The proclamation sets out the following rules:

-fork length at 36 inches

-bag limit, one cobia per person per day

Private vessel limits are from May 3 through May 31, the bag limit is two per vessel per day.

For-hire vessels are limited from May 1 through Dec. 31 to four cobia per vessel per day or one per person per day, or one cobia person per day, if fewer than four people are on board.

Commercial size and harvest rules are:

Size: 33 inches fork length

Bag: two cobia per person per day or six per vessel per day, whichever is more restrictive in a commercial operation.

It is unlawful to possess a commercial and recreational limit of cobia on the same vessel.

In both fisheries, it is unlawful to fail to return all cobia not meeting harvest requirements to the water in a manner that ensures the highest likelihood of survival.