11 Types Of Snapper Fish (With Pictures)
Snappers are among the Gulf of Mexico’s most coveted species of fish. They are highly sought-after by fishing enthusiasts and popular at seafood restaurants and markets. They also are an essential predator within the Gulf ecosystem. Recently, there has been much controversy over the well-being and management of this crucial fish.
Red snapper’s size can reach 40 inches in length, weigh up to 50 pounds, and live for over 50 years. Red snapper reproduces at around two years old. They spawn between May and October on coral reefs or rocky ledges. Fertilized eggs sit on the surface and develop within a few days.
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The larger, older red snappers have more eggs than younger ones. A female red snapper with 24 inches (about eight years of age) produces more fish than females weighing 212 inches (about five years old). The majority of red snapper captured in the Gulf today are between four and six years old. Older.
The economics of red snappers is that they are one of the top-valued fish caught in the Gulf. In 2011 commercial fishers from the five Gulf states netted greater than 3.2 million pounds of snapper. They were sold on the dock at $11.5 million. This blue-striped fish is a species of the salt-water reef and the inshore fish of oceans.
The fish are part of the group Actinopterygii as do all other fish. Scientists don’t know what their numbers are as they’ve not come up with any specific numbers. Snapper bluefish are typically located in an ecosystem of reefs with numerous plant species close by.
The bluefish is seen in schools of other species, such as grouper fish and the Indian mackerel. They live an average of between 10 and 20 years, which is very impressive for such tiny creatures!
1. Blackfin Snapper
Blackfin snapper, particularly in the Antilles, is very common, and they can be found from Massachusetts to Brazil in the tropical West Atlantic Ocean. The blackfin snapper is a reddish-brown fish with silvery-red undersides, and it also has yellowish anal, caudal, and pelvic fins.
This species has a maximum length of 75 cm and a maximum weight of 14 kg. The blackfin snapper lives on sandy bottoms and rocks near ledges.
2. Juvenile Cubera Snapper
The western Atlantic Ocean is home to the Cubera snapper, also known as the Cuban snapper. It can be found from Nova Scotia southwards to Brazil.
Cubera snappers are known for their long, slim bodies, like almonds. They are fond of eating crabs, lobsters, and ray-finned seafood. This species can grow to 160cm in length and is 40 lbs in weight. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
3. Juvenile Dog Snapper
Dog snappers are also called the pargue, snaggletooth snapper, or dogtooth snapper. Dog snappers are native to Trinidad and Tobago. Adults have olive-green upper flanks, backs, and upper arms.
They consume small fishes such as shrimps, crabs, and gastropods. The maximum length for this fish is 128 cm, and it weighs 28.6kg. Adult dog snappers patrol rocky seafloors or reefs at an average depth of around 100 feet.
4. Lane Snapper
The western Atlantic Ocean is home to the lane snapper, which can be found from North Carolina to South Brazil. The lane snapper has a silvery-pink coloration ranging from reddish to reddish, with yellow, quick, irregular, and pink strains on its sides.
Lane snappers eat shrimp, cephalopods, gastropods, and smaller fishes like crabs and shrimp. The maximum length for this fish is 60 cm, and it weighs in at 3.5kg. Adult lane snappers can be found in many habitats, but they are most often seen over coral reefs or vegetated.
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5. Mahogany Snapper
Lutjanus mahogany is the Mahogany Snapper. It is a member of either the Snapper family or Lutjanidae and is also known as Pargo in Mexico. Their backs and upper sides range from gray to dark olive.
Mahogany snapper eats small bottom fishes like grunts. The average length of the mahogany snapper is 15 inches (38cm), and its maximum length is 19 inches (1.3kg). The western Atlantic Ocean is home to the mahogany snapper.
6. Mangrove Snapper
Gray snapper, also known as the mangrove snapper, is a medium-sized fish that lives mainly in Florida and Mexico. They can vary in color depending on where they are found, and some may appear darker than others, while others may be lighter.
Their diet is primarily composed of fishes, crustaceans, and, to a lesser degree, mollusks or polychaete worms. This species can grow to a length of 89cm and a weight of 20 kg. This species can be found in all types of water, including canals and grass flats, and open waters.
7. Mutton snapper
Mutton snapper is a prevalent game fish and a high-quality food fish. Mutton snapper is a medium-deep, almond-shaped fish, and it can eat shrimp, crabs, and squid. Mutton snapper averages 20 inches in length and weighs 15.6 kilograms. The mutton snapper is found in Massachusetts, as well as Brazil.
8. Silk Snapper
The Silk Snapper, a deep-ocean fish, is more commonly used for commercial fishing than meat. Silk Snapper is a deep-ocean fish that can be found in various colors, from red to pink.
It also eats other crustaceans such as crabs, shrimps, and cephalopods. A silk snapper’s average length is 17 inches, and its weight is 18.3 pounds. Silk snappers are common in tropical regions offshore in deep-water.
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9. Schoolmaster Snapper
The schoolmaster snapper is also known as the dogtooth snapper. It is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the Lutjanidae family. They have a small head with a yellowish or reddish color and an olive-gray back and side.
Their diet consists of cephalopods and worms as well as insects. The maximum fork length is 79.1 cm, and the species weighs in at 5 lb. Adults often stay close to shore, sheltering around gorgonian coral and elkhorn.
10. Vermilion Snapper
Vermilion snapper, clubhead snapper, and night snapper are all species of marine-ray-finned fish. Their sides are yellow, and their belly is pale. Vermilion snapper can eat shrimp, crabs, and worms.
Vermilion snapper can grow up to two feet in length and seven pounds in weight, and their average weight is 3.2 kilograms. Vermilion snapper can be found in the tropical waters of the western Atlantic Cape Hatteras.
11. Yellowtail Snapper
The yellowtail snapper can be found anywhere from Massachusetts to Brazil, even the Gulf of Mexico. The yellowtail snapper is a large, olive-blued fish with yellow spots on its upper sides and back.
They eat cephalopods and worms and fish, crabs, shrimp, cephalopods, and cephalopods. Although they can grow to 86.3 cm in length, most are less than 40 cm long and weigh only 3 lb. The yellowtail snapper is found along with South Florida and in the Caribbean.
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