Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus)
Description
The red snapper is rosy red overall. Their canine teeth are less prominent than those of most other Snappers. They have a red eye and their anal fin is triangular. The Caribbean Red Snapper is very similar in appearance and is found in the northwest and central Caribbean.
Size
Common from a pound to about 6 or 8 pounds. Usual maximum is about 20 pounds, although the Red Snapper can rarely run as high as 30 or 40 pounds.
Habitat
Along the Panhandle, Red Snappers are sometimes found in fairly shallow water off the beaches and even in deep holes of the larger bays. They are found offshore on the continental shelf and are more plentiful off the Panhandle than in south or middle Florida.
Range
A temperate fish rather than tropical, the Red Snapper is rare in South Florida, although caught occasionally. It is standard bottom-fishing fare, however, offshore of the Atlantic Coast from about the center of the Peninsula northward, and in deep waters of the northern Gulf.
