Gulf Angler Charles Sheldon Honored for Outstanding Contributions to Cobia Research

Thu, 08/27/2026 - 10:01am | By: Megan Le

The University of Southern Mississippi's Center for Fisheries Research and Development (CFRD) is proud to recognize volunteer angler Charles Sheldon of South Padre Island, Texas, for his outstanding contributions to the Cooperative Sport Fish Tag and Release Program.

Sheldon, an avid fisherman, has tagged and released 493 cobia in the Gulf of America (Gulf), 390 of which were tagged from 2008-22 as part of the CFRD-managed Cooperative Sport Fish Tag and Release Program. Over the years, 15 of the cobia Sheldon tagged were reported as recaptured after being at large for anywhere from zero to 1,056 days and traveling distances of up to 465 miles. His efforts have helped CFRD researchers better understand cobia growth, movements, population structure and regional connectivity.

“I started tagging billfish and yellowtail during the early '80s in the Gulf of Mexico. Tagging became a passion of mine to preserve fish for the next generation,” said Sheldon. “Then, in 2008, when the USM cobia tagging program started, I really enjoyed eating cobia, so I figured I might as well help preserve the species. I am glad to volunteer with scientists and their research.”

The Cooperative Sport Fish Tag and Release Program was established in 1988 by the late Jim Franks, a CFRD senior research scientist, as an effort specifically to study cobia movements. The program recruited recreational fishermen across the Gulf to aid in tagging cobia and encourage the reporting of recaptured tagged fish. The program, funded by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Sport Fish Restoration Program, was widely accepted and since that time has expanded to include tripletail in 1996 and red drum and spotted seatrout in 2019.

Over the last four decades, volunteer anglers have tagged and released more than 20,000 cobia, and nearly 1,400 of these were later reported as recaptured. This long-term dataset is one of the oldest known repositories of tag-and-release information for cobia and has significantly expanded scientific understanding of the species. CFRD researchers have documented not only seasonal migrations but also long-distance latitudinal movements throughout the Gulf, suggesting there are resident cobia populations in both the northern Gulf and off South Florida.

The data collected through the program played a key role in the 2013 Southeast Data, Assessment and Review (SEDAR 28) stock assessment, helping redefine the Gulf cobia population as extending into the eastern Atlantic up to the Florida-Georgia border. Today, the dataset continues to contribute to state-of-the-art species distribution and habitat suitability models through the Gulf Ecosystem Initiative, a partnership between the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) and the NOAA RESTORE Science Program.

Beyond its scientific contributions, the Cooperative Sport Fish Tag and Release Program has empowered generations of recreational anglers to become citizen scientists. By participating in the tag-and-release effort, volunteers aid in the collection of valuable long-term data that helps inform fisheries management decisions while promoting stewardship and conservation of Gulf marine resources.

“Our fishing community is one of the best partners we have in fisheries science. Thanks to the dedication of anglers like Mr. Sheldon, we have been able to discover Gulf-wide movement and seasonality patterns for cobia and other species. The Tag and Release Program was built on the passion of anglers committed to sustainable fisheries, and it is incredible to see this passion still thriving today,” said CFRD Director Jill Hendon.

By recognizing Sheldon, CFRD also celebrates the enduring success of a program built on the vision of the late Jim Franks. Together, Franks' leadership and the dedication of volunteer anglers like Sheldon have created one of the Gulf's longest-running fisheries tagging programs—an enduring partnership between scientists and the public that continues to improve understanding and conservation of Gulf fisheries.

Learn more about the Cooperative Sport Fish Tag and Release Program, request a free citizen scientist tag kit, and/or report the recapture of a tagged fish.