Popular Snapper Fish Species List

There are actually around 125 snapper fish species inside the family, which mostly are live in the sea even though there are some species that live in brackish water. But those species that lives in the brackish water, will go to the fresh water area in search for food but then go back again to the brackish water where they live. The snappers can live in various oceans such as Atlantic, Pacific as well as Indian. The snappers are also very popular option for fishermen as some of them has high economy value especially the red snapper fish. Here are some of the fishes in this family.

Best Snapper Fish Species List1.      Yellowtail Snapper
This type of snapper fish is actually a tropical snapper fish species with colorful color and streamlined shape body. They have bluish color or olive color on the top part, then white color or silver color on the bottom part. Their length is around 2 feet or 1 foot and their weight can go to the 3 pounds and it is very rare to find one that has weight above 5 lbs. they live in tropical and some subtropical area in the coastal with around 10 until 300 feet in depth. Among all snapper species, this fish is considered the best one for eating.
2.      Gray snapper
This is one of the top fighter snapper fish species that you can find. That is why; they often hunt as game fish but they are also very good taste as food fish. Their age can exceed 25 years old, while their length can reach to 35 inches and their weight can reach to 25 lbs. However, for most fish caught their length is usually 18 inches and their weight is usually 10 lbs. Their body has gray or dark brown in color, and they have orange or red spots in the sides of their body that spread in rows.

3.      Red snapper
This fish is the most valuable species of snapper fish especially for commercial usage or for sport fish. It is also the most sought after snapper fish as it is the most expensive one among all snapper species. They are living in the reef at the bottom area with 60 feet until 400 feet depth. They will go around the reef by making school of red snapper fishes which all has similar sizing. In spring season, they will move around the more shallow area. The top part of their body is golden or darker red in color while the bottom part of their body is golden or lighter red in color with white color on the edge of their scales.
4.      Dog snapper
This is the largest snapper fish species that you can find. And they can weight around 80 lbs with wide body shape with light red until deep red in color on the top part then silver in color on the bottom part. They also have very large teeth on the canine part with 2 in their top jaw then another 2 in their bottom jaw. One pair of those teeth can even be seen when you close their jaw. Because of that, the fish has very fierce appearance that make them looked like a dog. This is why; they have dog as their common name.

5.      Schoolmaster snapper
This snapper fish has more robust body type which slightly compressed to be moderate deep shape. Their head is pointy and their mouth is large and their color is varied from bronze to more silvery in color. Meanwhile the color of their fin as well as the tail part is more of yellow in color. They also have some stripes in their snout part with blue color. They can have as big as 8 pounds in weight and their length can grow as long as 24 inches even though they are more commonly found in 35 cm in length. They often move in school consist of dozen of fishes at once.
6.      Blackfin snapper
This is one of the snapper fish species with medium size that can grow up to 66 cm in length even though they are more commonly found in 55 cm in length. Their body is more moderately compressed in shape. They have orange or scarlet orange color on their upper part and their back part of their body. And then reddish to silvery color on their bottom part and belly. Their eyes has golden yellow to yellow color iris. They have large size black dot in the base of their body as well as the axil of their pectoral fin.

7.      Lane snapper
This snapper is also marine fish which can be found on the reef area in the clear water or turbid region that can be found near the coral reef. When they are in spawning season, then they can be found forming large size school. They commonly active at night in search for food which mostly consist of worms, shrimp, cephalopods, gastropods and shrimp that live in the bottom area of the reef. Their body shape is deep but their snout is pointy. They own two dorsal fins where their anal fin is more rounds but their pectoral fin is shorter while their caudal fins are shaped into more of forked shape.
8.      Cubera snapper
This fish has different body shape compared to the other snapper fish species as their body is more on the slender shaper which not as deep as the other snapper fish. The body has more of steel gray which rater silver in color toward darker brown color with some reddish color tinge. The color will be darker on the top part which will have purplish sheen.

Those are several popular snapper fish species that you should know as they are most popular type of fishes that you can find. Not only they are popular as food fish, but actually they are also popular as sport fish. Of course, after you caught one of them, then you can choose it to be various dishes that you want as their meat is also delicious.