Golden Snapper, Lutjanus inermis

Golden Snapper, Lutjanus inermis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Point Palmilla, Baja California Sur, July 2015. Length: 25 cm (10 inches).

Golden Snapper, Lutjanus inermis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Point Palmilla, Baja California Sur, December 2017. Length: 25 cm (10 inches).

Golden Snapper, Lutjanus inermis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, April 2006. Length: 30 cm (12 inches). Fish identification courtesy of Dr. Ross Robertson, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama.

The Golden Snapper, Lutjanus inermis, is a member of the Snapper or Lutjanidae Family, and is known in Mexico a pargo rabirrubia. Globally, there are sixty-seven species in the genus Lutjanus, of which nineteen found in Mexican waters, ten in the Atlantic and nine in the Pacific Ocean.

The Golden Snapper has a very elongated body with an overall red tinge and narrow brown stripes on their sides that run obliquely above the lateral line. They have a white blotch below the posterior end of their dorsal fin. Their fins are dark reddish-brown except for their caudal fin which is very dark.They have a large oblique mouth and large eyes. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 11 rays (a key to identification) and is pointed; their caudal fin is deeply forked; their dorsal fin has 10 spines and 13 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 17 rays and a short and rounded. They have 14 or 15 gill rakers on the lower arch. They are covered with scales.

The Golden Snapper is found over rocky bottoms and close to caves and crevices forming diurnal aggregations at depths up to 70 m (230 feet), with the maximum depth established by a fish that I caught. I have also seen them on the surface as a schooling species pursuing the Pelagic Red Crabs.  They reach a maximum of 39 cm (15 inches) in length. They feed on crabs, mollusks, octopus, shrimp, and small fish. The Golden Snapper is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Golden Snapper is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean but has a limited distribution being found from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, southward along the southwest coast of the Baja, in the southern 20% of the Sea of Cortez (established by fish that I caught), and from Mazatlán, Sinaloa, southward along the coastal mainland to Guatemala.

The Golden Snapper can be confused with the Mullet Snapper, Lutjanus aratus (11 or 12 dorsal spines; 7 or 8 anal rays) and the Whipper Snapper, Lutjanus jordani (silvery appearance; 9 anal rays).

From a conservation perspective the Golden Snapper is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are considered to be a quality food fish but exceedingly rare. One morning in April 2006, I recall finding them up on the surface feeding on the Pelagic Red Crabs. Within two hours, we put eighty-six fish in the boat on fly-lined live red tuna crabs providing all the residents of La Playita with fresh snapper for dinner. Following that outing many years ago, I have only ever caught one other Golden Snapper in over twenty years of fishing the coastal waters of Los Cabos, Baja California Sur.