cownose vs. cobia population

[chris storrs]

why is the cownose ray population so drastically greater than the cobia population?Bothe seem to eat the same things(And cobia even seem to have a larger diet range including crabs,live fish,and eels and cut or dead fish,spiny lobster,plus more),swim in the same places, and stay within the same temp range but it seems that there are 300 cownose or more per cobia...whats up with this?I know most of the rays caught from piers are gaffed and i aint never seen a ray with a gaff hole scar...so im guessing most die?sharks?...I know most cobia are gaffed/kept so their population is cut too but theres alot more rays caught(gaffed/killed?) than cobes....

[KICKNBASS]

I've caught alot of rays with gaff holes in them. As a matter of fact last year more than once I caught a ray that we had gaffed on an earlier hook up (stupid rays) JMO the rays spawn alot more and alot faster. I know that the cobias lives are cut short becuase when they get to virginia they go to the shallows to spawn, and thats where we are catching them. All of those really big fish caught in the 70+lb range are big females. Those are also the spawners. MPO

BASS

[rattler]

rays eat crab...crabs spawn...young crabs hide in grass...no place to hide(no grass)...rays have an open buffet...so...now less crabs and more rays...their population will crash soon...:--|

[Drumdum]

I've caught alot of rays with gaff holes in them. As a matter of fact last year more than once I caught a ray that we had gaffed on an earlier hook up (stupid rays) JMO the rays spawn alot more and alot faster. I know that the cobias lives are cut short becuase when they get to virginia they go to the shallows to spawn, and thats where we are catching them. All of those really big fish caught in the 70+lb range are big females. Those are also the spawners. MPO

BASS

The one possitive thing out of that would be that cobes get big fast.. Not that killing a bunch of spawners is a good thing,IMO the limit should be 1 fish per day.. Sure wish drummies and stripers grew as fast..

[Shooter]

Have ya ever walked the beach and seen all them little black sacks washed up,,, them is Ray egg sacks. All them sacks, someone must be busy maken baby rays :eek: