Global research performance trends and knowledge gaps on cobia (Rachycentron canadum): a scientometric perspective

Rachycentron canadum (cobia) is a marine fish species important to fisheries and aquaculture worldwide. The species has gathered scientific attention in the last decades, and today, a considerable body of knowledge exists on it. There are several reviews pertaining to different aspects of research, but a quantitative outlook has been lacking to identify contributors and motives for research on cobia. This study aims to present the first global research performance analysis on R. canadum through scientometrics. We found a total of 446 documents, published in the timespan of 1964–2023, from a variety of countries and sources. Although various countries have published studies on the species, a few countries concentrate the vast majority of research efforts. The most cited articles and the sources with most publications were mainly aquaculture-related. Some countries with high contribution to capture have a significant portion of their scientific production directed to aquaculture-related sources, while others have low scientific production in general. Some countries where the cobia fishery is present have had no research found at all. The boom in publication rate from the 2000s onwards exhibits a similar tendency to the rate of aquaculture production over the years, with aquaculture probably representing the main research driver for R. canadum. We recommend focusing additional scientific endeavors on wild cobia populations in countries where its fishery holds significance. Furthermore, we suggest that the currently existing aquaculture focus on the species may overshadow research interest on its fisheries.

Graphical abstract