Northern red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus)

Scientific name: Lutjanus campechanus Poey, 1860

The Northern red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) is a marine fish of the family Lutjanidae.

Biology

Adults are found over rocky bottoms. Juveniles inhabit shallow waters, common over sand or muddy bottoms. Feed mainly on fishes, shrimps, crabs, worms, cephalopods, and some planktonic items including urochordates and gastropods. Marketed fresh and eaten steamed, broiled and baked. Heavily exploited in American waters where it is now closely protected; shrimp fishing, accused of destroying young snappers, is currently restricted.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Lutjanus campechanus
Family: Lutjanidae (Snappers)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 100.0
Common length: 60.0
Depth range: 10–190 m (33–623 ft)
Environment: Marine; reef-associated; depth range 10 - 190 m, usually 30 - 130 m
Climate: Subtropical
Distribution: Western Atlantic: Gulf of Mexico and eastern coast of the USA extending northward to Massachusetts, coasts of Florida, but rare north of the Carolinas. Throughout Gulf of Mexico. This species has been referred to as Lutjanus aya by previous authors, but Rivas proved that Bodianus aya Bloch, 1790 is not a lutjanid, but probably a sciaenid.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Reports of ciguatera poisoning
Uses: Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience: Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.12-0.2; tmax=16; Fec > 1 million)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026