Red Snapper

Common Name:

Red Snapper

Scientific Name:

Lutjanus campechanus

Market Name(s):

Carribean red snapper, Mexican snapper

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Sourcing Summary

2-6 lbs.

The main source of red snapper is the Gulf of Mexico (both U.S. and Mexico). Red snapper from the U.S. is almost always sold with the skin-on. When buying whole red snapper, look for deep red fins, pinkish-silver bellies, and red gills that look healthy. When buying fillets, choose skin-on as skin-off fillets might not be genuine red snapper. The white flesh of a red snapper should be moist and reflective, free of gaping and drying. When used for sushi, red snapper is known as tai although several other species are also marketed as tai. Beware of mislabeling: red snapper sold on the U.S. West Coast ("Pacific red snapper") may actually be rockfish, which has a very different texture and flavor.

Harvest Methods

Wild

Rod & Reel
Longline
Hydraulic Hook & Line
Hydraulic Hook & Line
Hook & Line

Product Forms

Fresh

  • Fillet
  • H&G
  • Whole (Dressed)

Frozen

  • Fillet
  • H&G
  • Whole (Dressed)
Fresh Seasonal Availability
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Culinary Composition

Flavor

Mild
Sweet
Strong

Texture

Delicate
Medium
Firm

Oil

Low
Medium
High

Health & Nutrition

Nutrition facts

Serving size: 100 Grams
Amount per serving
  • Calories
    100.00
  • Total Fat
    1.00
    g
  • Cholesterol
    37.00
    mg
  • Sodium
    64.00
    mg
  • Carbohydrates
    0.00
    g
  • Protein
    20.50
    g
  • Omega-3
    0.40
    g

Recommended Servings per Month

  • Men
    4+
  • Women
    4+
  • Kids 6-12
    3
  • Kids 0-5
    2

Cooking Methods

Advisory Concern

Mercury
Biology

Red snapper grow up to 40 inches in length and 50 pounds. Females are able to reproduce as early as two years old, with spawning season lasting from May to October. Red snapper live a long life – up to 57 years old reported in the Gulf of Mexico, and 51 years old reported in the South Atlantic. Populations found in deeper waters tend to be redder than those in shallower waters.

Red snapper are nocturnal predators, feeding on fish, crab, worms, shrimp, octopus or squid, and some plankton. Their enlarged canine teeth are a definitive characteristic, which led to the name “snapper.” They are prey to marine mammals, turtles, and larger carnivorous fish such as: jacks, grouper, sharks, barracudas, and morays.

Species Habitat

Red snapper are found throughout the Gulf of Mexico and along the US Atlantic with the Atlantic range extending from Florida to Massachusetts  – though the species is considered rare north of the Carolinas. Larval red snapper inhabit the water column while juveniles live in shallow waters usually over sandy or muddy bottoms. Adults live on the ocean bottom at depths from 30 to 620 feet deep on the continental shelf. Adult red snapper are generally found near hard structures with moderate to high relief such as coral and artificial reefs, ledges, and caves. They can also be found near soft-bottom areas and limestone deposits.

Science & Management:
  • Wild
    Science: 

    Researchers have been able to successfully raise snappers in captivity, and are now calling for development of a red snapper aquaculture component to the commercial industry, as well as development of techniques to use hatchery-reared red snapper as a tool in fishery management and wild stock rebuilding. Red snapper are being tagged as part of a collaborative catch-and-release program, allowing researchers to monitor exploitation rates. In order to answer questions about movement, growth, and harvest affects, red snapper has been targeted for intensive research over the next few years. 

    Young red snapper have been released off the coast of Sarasota, FL in artificial reef habitats to monitor the use of hatchery-raised populations as supplemental to the native Gulf of Mexico populations. Data collection programs in Florida, as part of the Enhanced Assessment for Recovery of Gulf of Mexico Fisheries, use survey methods to monitor the number of anglers fishing for reef fish in the Gulf, how many trips were taken, and the amount and size of the fish harvested.

    Management: 

    NOAA Fisheries, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC), and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (GMFMC) manage the red snapper fisheries in the United States.

    The SAFMC began managing red snapper in 1984 with the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan. The Plan has been amended numerous times to establish limited entry programs, minimum harvest size requirements, fishing quotas, and other measures to protect and rebuild red snapper populations that have declined over decades of intense fishing pressure. In 1991, the SAFMC prohibited the use of bottom longline gear in depths less than 300 feet and in 2007 established Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to help deep-water species rebuild. In 2008 the SAFMC prohibited the take of all red snapper due to low stock assessments. A rebuilding plan was implemented in 2010 with the goal of rebuilding the South Atlantic red snapper stock by 2045. In 2010 and 2011 regulations again prohibited harvest of red snapper to allow the population of larger, older fish to increase. Limited harvest of red snapper has been allowed since 2012 although the stock is still considered overfished despite efforts to improve the fishery.

    The GMFMC has been managing red snapper since 1983 with the development of the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan. Although 31 species are managed under this plan, red snapper has been a large focus of the GMFMC due to its commercial importance and historic stock decline. Since its inception, the plan has been amended over 20 times to help rebuild the Gulf population. In 2001, a rebuilding plan was formally enacted with the goal of rebuilding the stock by 2032. Among the measures the plan addresses are:

    • An annual total allowable catch limit for both the commercial and recreational fisheries
    • A minimum harvest size to protect spawning stock and juvenile red snapper
    • The establishment of an individual fishing quota (IFQ) catch share program for commercial fishermen
    • Gear restrictions and closed areas

    A 2013 stock assessment for Gulf of Mexico red snapper indicated that the stock was overfished, but increasing and that overfishing was no longer occurring. The recovery of the Gulf of Mexico red snapper has been deemed a success story for US fisheries management. 

Wild

Impact on Stock

Red snapper, found in the Atlantic from North Carolina to northern South America, the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, are slow growing, long lived and have moderate vulnerability to fishing pressure. Red snapper in the United States was heavily fished for decades, leading to it being overfished. The population has been rebuilding to the point where it is no longer experiencing overfishing in the Gulf of Mexico. However, red snapper in the South Atlantic is still well below the target level.

Habitat Impacts

Fishermen primarily use hook and line gear in the form of handlines and electric reels to catch red snapper. This type of gear has a low impact on the ocean habitat. A very small percentage is also caught using longlines, which have a moderate impact on the habitat.

Bycatch

Sea turtles and sawfish are vulnerable to hook and line gear. In the Gulf of Mexico, fishermen using hook and line gear must use circle hooks and dehooking devices to help any non-targeted fish survive, according to the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service. Snapper fishermen have inadvertently caught speckled hind, Warsaw grouper, gag grouper, loggerhead sea turtles, green sea turtles, leatherback sea turtles, snowy grouper, Atlantic bluefin tuna, and blacknose shark. But most of the non-targeted fish caught in the fishery are not species of concern, the Monterey Bay Aquarium reported. Juvenile red snapper is also accidentally caught by shrimp fishermen, who are attempting to reduce this bycatch through improved management measures, including the use of bycatch reduction devices.

Management Effectiveness

NOAA Fisheries' South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Councils manage red snapper. They are considered moderately effective by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. In 2010, red snapper harvesting in the South Atlantic was prohibited to help the population recover from overfishing. The fishery was reopened on a limited basis in September 2012. A rebuilding plan for the Gulf of Mexico was put into place in 2001. The Environmental Defense Fund credits an innovative catch share management plan implemented in 2007 with increasing the red snapper population in that area. Management measures for that red snapper fishery include catch limits, gear restrictions, minimum size limits, an individual fishing quota program and area closures.

Farmed
Origin Harvest Method Sustainability Ratings FIP Source
Mexico - Baja California Sur (FIP) Hook and Line
Seafood Watch- Unrated
Ocean Wise- Unrated
Fishery Improvement Project (FIP)
Good Fish Guide - Unrated
FIP product
Mexico - Gulf of Mexico Vertical Lines
Seafood Watch- Avoid
Ocean Wise- Not Recommended
Good Fish Guide - Unrated
Mexico - Gulf of Mexico (FIP) Bottom Longline
Seafood Watch- Unrated
Ocean Wise- Unrated
Good Fish Guide - Unrated
Fishery Improvement Project (FIP)
FIP product
Mexico - Gulf of Mexico (FIP) Longline
Seafood Watch- Unrated
Ocean Wise- Unrated
Good Fish Guide - Unrated
Fishery Improvement Project (FIP)
FIP product
Unassessed Origin Unassessed Fishing Methods
Seafood Watch- Unrated
Ocean Wise- Unrated
Good Fish Guide - Unrated
USA - Gulf of Mexico Vertical Lines
Seafood Watch- Good Alternative
Ocean Wise- Not Recommended
NOAA FSSI- 3 out of 4
Good Fish Guide - Unrated
USA - South Atlantic Vertical Lines
Seafood Watch- Avoid
Ocean Wise- Not Recommended
NOAA FSSI- 1 out of 4
Good Fish Guide - Unrated
Name Country State/Province
Amexsa Corp. United States Georgia
Ariel Seafoods United States Florida
Baton Rouge Shrimp Company, Inc. United States Louisiana
Catanese Classic Seafood United States Ohio
Chefs Trading United States District of Columbia
Empire Fish Company United States Wisconsin
En Gros Pierre Canada Quebec
Euclid Fish Company United States Ohio
Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders' Alliance United States Florida
Impulse Seafood United States Florida
IncredibleFish, Inc. United States Florida
John Nagle Co. United States Massachusetts
Legend Seafood United States Florida
Macgregors Meat & Seafood Ltd. Canada Ontario
Northeast Seafood Products, Inc. United States Colorado
Offshore Seafood Co. United States Florida
Orca Seafoods Mexico Yucatán
Profish Ltd. United States District of Columbia
Sam Rust Seafood United States Virginia
Sarasota Seafood Company United States Florida
Sea to Table, USA United States New York
Seacore Seafood Canada Ontario
Seafood Merchants Ltd. United States Illinois
Seattle Fish Co United States Colorado
Seattle Fish Company - Kansas City United States Missouri
SmartFish Inc Mexico DIF
The Fish Guys Inc. United States Minnesota
The Lobster Place Wholesale Seafood United States New York
Tropical Food Service Mexico Jalisco

Acknowledgements

  • Environmental Defense Fund
  • NOAA Fisheries
  • Seafood Watch Program
  • SeafoodSource
Last Updated: 8/7/2020