Florida researchers offer $50 'bounty' for caught cobia

Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Researchers in Florida are offering anglers a $50 reward to donate any cobia they catch off the state's coast.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute announced on Facebook it will pay a $50 "bounty" for any cobia caught in the state so researchers can analyze "if and where they spawn along Florida's coasts."

The FWC said the fish must either be whole or frozen with its organs intact to qualify for the $50 payments.

Anglers who catch tagged cobia are being asked not to harvest the fish, but rather report the tag number, fork length, date and general location of the catch to the FWC.