Snapper Fish Facts

Snapper is a fish found all over the world and is one of the most popular white fish eaten at home and in restaurants. The fish has a medium texture and mild taste, comparable to flounder. Snapper can be fried, baked, grilled, broiled, steamed and poached. Red snapper and yellow tail is the snapper most often showing up on restaurant menus and at the fish markets. There’s a lot of interesting facts about snapper.

Snapper is a friendly fish and travels in large schools.  They are carnivores and feed on other fish and crustaceans. The snapper is a bottom feeder and can be caught as deep as 300 feet. The fish live at the water’s bottom, under rocky ledges and reefs. They feel right at home around oil rigs and in shipwrecks.

The majority of snappers have long thin bodies and a spiny dorsal fin. Their tails can be blunt or forked. They have large mouths and small, sharp teeth.  Snappers range in length from two to three feet. A mature fish can weigh in at fifty pounds and live over fifty years.

There are over a hundred species of snapper worldwide. Snapper is a favorite with both commercial and recreational fishermen. There are 17 types of snapper harvested from the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and South Atlantic waters. The top five favorite snappers to fish are the Red snapper, Mangrove snapper, Yellowtail snapper, Mutton snapper and the Cubera snapper.

Due to overfishing and dwindling population, red snapper is heavily regulated. The delicate taste with its sweet mild flavor makes is in great demand. There have been reports of fraud, the selling of white fish as red snapper. Be on the alert when buying red snapper; buy only from reputable fish markets.