Red Snapper

The red snapper is a reddish, short-toothed reef fish of the western Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean, typically growing to about 60 centimeters though it can reach a meter. It lives over rocky bottoms, ledges, and artificial reefs at depths from roughly 9 to 190 meters, feeding opportunistically on small fish and crustaceans. It is the most commonly landed snapper in the continental United States, supporting a commercial fishery worth well over a hundred million dollars a year, and individuals have been documented living past 55 years. Decades of heavy fishing pressure have left it listed as Vulnerable.