Are divers seeing more cobia since Hurricane Richard?

[Hank49]

Marine Farms Belize lost a lot of fish when their cages collapsed in the winds. Thousands of fish. The cages are located just SE of Belize City.
This fish was found south of Southwater Caye just north of Gran Channel. My buddy is the general manager of Marine Farms and he is pretty sure it was one of his fish. It hadn't eaten, which is perhaps because it was raised in tanks and cages its whole life and doesn't know what to eat in the wild, and had a couple spots in its liver.
These fish also may come to the sound of a boat. Boats pull up along side of the cages to feed them so they may react to what they know as the "dinner bell".
I was wondering if divers are seeing them now.
By the way, this fish is delicious.

 

[bcaderunr]

Funny you should ask. I was diving off San Pedro on Ambergris (with "Chuck and Robbies" -- great operation by the way) the first week of November and we had an Eagle Ray swoop by along one of the sandy fingers. In formation immediately above it was a strange looking fish -- kind of a cross between a Barracuda and a Remora. We got back to the dock for the SI and thumbed thru the Reef Fish Guide. Sure enough, Cobia uncommon to rare in the Caribbean Nobody on the dive had seen one before and it was a fairly experienced group. Guess we'll have to rescind the "High Fives"

 

[Gaz]

ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS Fish to eat, my favorite,

Makes my mouth water just looking at it Hank

Gaz

 

[Hank49]

Funny you should ask. I was diving off San Pedro on Ambergris (with "Chuck and Robbies" -- great operation by the way) the first week of November and we had an Eagle Ray swoop by along one of the sandy fingers. In formation immediately above it was a strange looking fish -- kind of a cross between a Barracuda and a Remora. We got back to the dock for the SI and thumbed thru the Reef Fish Guide. Sure enough, Cobia uncommon to rare in the Caribbean Nobody on the dive had seen one before and it was a fairly experienced group. Guess we'll have to rescind the "High Fives"

How big was the fish? The one I have in the first post pic was about 10 lbs, which was the bigger size fish from the cages. Remoras are their closest relative.
I've only seen 4 other cobia in all my time on the reef here. Size range from 10 to 40 lbs. They're around. I got this one, 42 lbs, in a deep cut in the reef (40 feet) down south. This one is almost broodstock size. My buddy has some 70 lb ones in tanks that he gets his eggs from. They're like puppies. They come right up to you when you walk up to the tank. Opposite of say, snapper behavior.

 

[bcaderunr]

I'd estimate it to be the same size as the one in your initial post. Observing it above the Eagle ray in symbiotic feeding mode was the fun aspect of the sighting. Until we verified it in the Fish Guide, no one knew for sure.