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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida fish and wildlife researchers have placed a $50 bounty on certain fish to learn more about where they spawn along Florida’s coasts.

If you harvest a cobia during September and have a biologist meet you, you’ll get a $50 reward.

“It’s as simple as that, folks. If you caught ‘em, we want ‘em, and we’ll even throw in a $50 bounty!” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s research institute said.

Researchers want to work with fishermen to sample the reproductive organs of harvested cobia.

To be eligible for the reward, the fish must be kept whole or have its filleted carcass with organs intact on ice.

You can call the following numbers to have the closest biologist meet you:

• Southeast Florida (Ft. Lauderdale-Sebastian): 561-510-5620

• Southwest Florida (Naples-St. Petersburg): 727-220-7108

• Northwest Florida (St. Petersburg-Steinhatchee): 727-685-7354

If you catch a tagged cobia, researchers ask you not to harvest it. Instead, you should take a picture of it and report the following information to the phone number for your region: tag number, fork length, date, and general location of the catch.

The FWC said the data is being collected as part of a three-year project to learn more about the cobia’s reproductive habits off Florida’s coast.

To learn more about the project, click here.

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