Yellow Snapper, Lutjanus argentiventris

Yellow Snapper, Lutjanus argentiventris, Juvenile. Underwater photograph taken in Zihuantanejo, Guerrero, March 2014. Photograph courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo. Identification courtesy of Dr. Benjamin Victor, coralreeffish.com.

Yellow Snapper, Lutjanus argentiventris, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, November 2021. Length: 11.8 cm (4.6 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Yellow Snapper, Lutjanus argentiventris, Juvenile. Fish caught from a kayak within coastal waters off San Felipe, Baja California, April 2018. Length: 12 cm (4.7 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, San Diego, California.

Yellow Snapper, Lutjanus argentiventris, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, November 2021. Length: 14 cm (5.5 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Yellow Snapper, Lutjanus argentiventris, Juveniles. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, February 2023. Length: 13 cm (5.1 inches) and 14 cm (5.5 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Peoria, Illinois.

Yellow Snapper, Lutjanus argentiventris. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Baja California Sur, October 2016. Length: 20 cm (8.0 inches). A most unusual dark colored fish, found in abundance within Magdalena Bay and known locally as Pargo Rojo (i.e. Red Snapper).

Yellow Snapper, Lutjanus argentiventris. Fish caught from coastal waters off Mazatlán, Sinaloa, October 2021. Length: 25 cm (10 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Bart, The Netherlands  (worldangler.eu).

Yellow Snapper, Lutjanus argentiventris. Fish caught from coastal waters off Cabo Real, Baja California Sur, March 2018. Length: 35 cm (14 inches).

Yellow Snapper, Lutjanus argentiventris. Fish caught from coastal waters off Los Barriles, Baja California Sur, November 2021. Length: 45 cm (18 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Chip Shapley, Los Barriles.

Yellow Snapper, Lutjanus argentiventris. Fish caught from coastal waters off Agua Verde, Baja California Sur, March 2020. Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Barry Mastro, Escondido, California.

Yellow Snapper, Lutjanus argentiventris. Fish caught from coastal waters off Vedanta, Nuevo Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, December 2020 aboard TOPLESS II. Photograph and idenatification courtesy of Greg Pilkington, High Spirited Adventures, Puerto Vallarta.  Note: the current world records for this fish are 76 cm (29.9 inches) and 5.44 kg (12 lbs 0 oz). In the photo above it appears this fish taped out at just under 74 cm (29.0 inches), however it was weighed at 6.7 kg (14 lbs 12 oz)!

Yellow Snapper, Lutjanus argentiventris. Underwater photographs taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, March 2018. Photographs courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo.

Yellow Snapper, Lutjanus argentiventris. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters off Punta Lobos, Isla Coronados, Baja California Sur, June 2001. Photograph and identification courtesy of Matt Levey, Santa Cruz, California.

The Yellow Snapper, Lutjanus argentiventris, is a member of the Snapper or Lutjanidae Family, that is also known as the Amarillo Snapper and in Mexico as pargo amarillo. Globally, there are sixty-seven species in the genus Lutjanus, of which nineteen are found in Mexican waters, ten in the Atlantic and nine in the Pacific Ocean.

The Yellow Snapper has a moderately oblong body with an overall yellow coloration that is more prominent in the tail and lower part of the body. Larger adults are two-toned, rosy-red in the front and yellow in the back. Their fins are yellow or orange. They have a distinctive blue horizontal streak below their eyes, that provides a facile identification, that fades quickly after collection. They have a pointed snout and a large mouth. Their anal fin is rounded with 3 spines, the second being thick, and 8 rays; their caudal fin is straight; their dorsal fin has 10 rays and 14 spines and is rounded; and, their pectoral fins have 16 or 17 rays. They have 12 or 13 gill rakers on the lower arch. They are covered with scales.

The Yellow Snapper is found over rocky bottoms close to caves and crevices at depths up to 95 m (310 feet). They reach a maximum of 76 cm (2 feet 6 inches) in length. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 5.44 kg (12 lbs 0 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Costa Rica in August 1998. They are nocturnal predators feeding on crabs, mollusks, octopus, shrimp, and small fish and take shelter during daylight. Juveniles will enter fresh water streams. The Yellow 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 Yellow Snapper is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The Yellow Snapper is an easy fish to identify due to its coloration and the broken blue line under the eyes and cannot be confused with any other species.

From a conservation perspective the Yellow Snapper is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are heavily targeted by artisanal and commercial fishermen and caught primarily with hook and line, gill nets and trawl nets. They are not caught in abundance by hook and line as they virtually disappear shortly after the first morning light. They occasionally become accessible in the early morning when chummed up to near the surface with cut bait. They are also accessible from the beach but only during predawn hours with live sardines being the bait of choice. They are sold “fresh” in many markets of the greater Los Cabos area of Baja California Sur.  They are also raised by aquaculture.