Mutton Snapper, Lutjanus analis
Mutton Snapper, Lutjanus analis, Juvenile. Fish caught from the Indian River Lagoon, Fort Pierce, Florida, November 2015. Length 15 cm (5.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Doug Bomeisler, Fort Pierce, Florida.
Mutton Snapper, Lutjanus analis, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, March 2023. Length: 16 cm (6.3 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Aidan Perkins, Long Island, New York.
Mutton Snapper, Lutjanus analis. Fish caught from the Indian River Lagoon, Fort Pierce, Florida, November 2015. Length 17 cm (6.7 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Doug Bomeisler, Fort Pierce, Florida.
Mutton Snapper, Lutjanus analis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Sebastian, Florida, April 2023. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Sebastian, Florida.
Mutton Snapper, Lutjanus analis. Fish caught from a boat dock in Caye Caulker, Belize, June 2013. Length: 23 cm (9.1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Kenneth Tse, Toronto, Ontario Canada.
Mutton Snapper, Lutjanus analis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Deerfield Beach, Florida, December 2020. Length: 39 cm (15 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, San Diego, California.
Mutton Snapper, Lutjanus analis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Caye Ambergris, Belize, June 2013. Length: 53 cm (21 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).
Mutton Snapper, Lutjanus analis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, June 2021. Length: 55 cm (23 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
The Mutton Snapper, Lutjanus analis, is a member of the Snapper or Lutjanidae Family, that is known in Mexico as pargo criollo. Globally, there are sixty-seven in the genus Lutjanus, of which nineteen are found in Mexican waters, ten in the Atlantic and nine in the Pacific Ocean.
The Mutton Snapper has a relatively deep laterally compressed body. They are olive green dorsally transitioning to a pale red ventrally. They have a black spot on the upper back above the lateral line and below the anterior portion of the dorsal fin. They have a pair of blue stripes under their eyes with the upper one continuing to the gill cover. Their caudal fin has a black margin. At rest they display 10 to 12 dark vertical bars across their backs that become solid when they are in motion. Juveniles have yellow bands on their body and a more prominent black spot. Their head has a steep straight profile with small eyes and a large terminal mouth that ends just before the eyes and is equipped with small villiform teeth on both jaws and six canine teeth in the upper jaw, four of which are large. Their anal fin is sharply pointed and has 3 spines (with the second and third being of equal length) and 7 or 8 rays; their caudal fin is lunate; their dorsal fin has 10 or 11 slender spines (the fourth of which is the longest) and 13 or 14 rays; and, their pectoral fins are long, reaching their anus. They are the only snapper that has 13 or 14 dorsal rays. They have rows of scales on their backs that are oblique above the lateral line. They have 12 or 13 gill rakers on the lower arch. They are covered with small scales.
The Mutton Snapper is found in relatively shallow clear waters at depths between 25 m (80 feet) and 95 m (310 feet) in waters between 18.9oC (66.0oF) and 27.8oC (82.4oF). They are found as either solitary individuals or in small schools. They reach a maximum of 94 cm (3 feet 1 inch) in length and 15.6 kg (34 lbs) in weight. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record for weight stood at 13.72 kg (30 lbs 4 oz) with the fish caught in the Dry Tortugas, Florida in November 1998. The juveniles shelter in-shore over sandy, vegetated bottoms in bays, canals, creeks and mangrove groves; the adults among coral and rocks. They are known to form small groups during the day and disband at night. Mutton Snappers are active both diurnally and nocturnally with juveniles feeding on plankton near the surface of the water and as they mature, transitioning to larger plankton and small invertebrates, and as adults, feeding on cephalopods, crabs, fish, gastropods, and shrimp. In turn they are preyed upon by large predatory fishes including sharks and other snappers. Reproduction is oviparous and they form large, transient aggregations in well-known, well documented locations In relatively shallow water environments during specific lunar calendar cycles. Each female releases up to 1,400,000 pelagic eggs which are fertilized externally and hatch in 20 hours. After hatching, the larvae move to shallow water environments within 48 hours. After spawning, the adults move offshore to deeper waters and become non-migratory. They have lifespans of up to forty years.
The Mutton Snapper can be easily confused with the Lane Snapper, Lutjanus synagris (rounded anal fin; yellow pelvic fins; 12 dorsal fin rays).
The Mutton Snapper is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Caribbean.
From a conservation perspective the Mutton Snapper is currently considered to be NEAR THREATENED with significant declines in their populations. They are heavily targeted by commercial and subsistence fishermen with gill nets, handlines, longlines, seines, spears and traps. The high site fidelity of this snapper makes it very vulnerable to being overfished and exploited by many commercial fishermen during spawning season. Both the adults and the juveniles are exploited. They are also caught as a bi-catch of the Atlantic Red Snapper and Grouper fishery. Shrimp trawlers account for a large portion of their mortality due to habitat destruction and discarding of juvenile fish. Coastal development of shallow coastal water environmentS has also contributed to their demise. In the United States they are heavily regulated with size and daily catch limits, seasonal closures and the establishment of marine preserves that are closed to fishing. They are also popular with recreational anglers utilizing hook and line, being strong foe that are normally taken on live shrimp, cut squid, fresh fish strips or bucktail jigs; they are also a favorite of spearfishermen. They are considered to be an exceptional food fish and are marketed both fresh and frozen and often as Red Snapper and can be found in the fish markets of Guadalajara and Mexico City. They are known to contain ciguatera toxin. They are also utilized by the aquarium trade on a limited basis.