Snapper: Red

American Red Snapper, Mule, Sow, Rat, Chicken

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Snappers include several genera and over 100 species. Snappers are generally fast growing and highly fecund, forming large spawning aggregations in predictable areas. Because they are of high eating quality and were historically abundant, most species in this group have been targeted heavily by sport and commercial fishers throughout their range. Red snapper inhabit the continental shelves of the GOM (Gulf of Mexico) and northwest Atlantic Ocean from the Bay of Campeche, Mexico, to Massachusetts. The species is replaced further south in the Caribbean Sea by the Caribbean red snapper.

Snappers in the US portion of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic regions exhibit moderate to high longevity, but grow very quickly and are fully mature in less than 5 years. They show site fidelity and aggregate to spawn, which increase their susceptibility to fishing pressure. Snappers are therefore considered moderately vulnerable to fishing pressure.

Red snapper stocks are currently classified as overfished, with the stocks currently experiencing overfishing. This as a critical conservation concern and therefore this species receives an overall rank of “AVOID” regardless of other criteria.

Bycatch in snapper fisheries can be high and regularly includes protected species such as sea turtles. As such, bycatch in the snapper fisheries to be a high conservation concern.

The Gulf of Mexico/South Atlantic snapper fishery occurs over coral and rocky bottom areas, which have low resilience to disturbance. Whether removal of snapper biomass has an effect on the ecosystem in general is questionable, but it is reasonable to assume there are moderate ecosystem effects associated with the volume of biomass removal. Given this information, there is a moderate conservation concern for habitat and ecosystem impact of the snapper fishery.

Red snapper stocks are overfished, indicating that management has not succeeded in sustaining populations. In the GOM, management plans have been developed to address overexploitation issues in both commercial and recreational snapper fisheries. The governments of Brazil and Venezuela (and other Caribbean nations) are limited by resources and more management is needed to monitor and enforce regulations there. For many other countries, management and regulations may exist, but there is almost no way of determining their success. These areas are showing signs of overfishing, indicating management is not effective at sustaining stocks. In the U.S., management is considered moderately effectively while management of international fisheries are considered ineffective.

What kind of snapper is this?
Where was it caught?

Moderate mercury advisory + Kids age 6-12 should eat no more than 3 meals per month + Kids up to age 6 should eat no more than 2 meals per month

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