Pacific Red Snapper, Lutjanus peru

Pacific Red Snapper, Lutjanus peru, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Point Palmilla, May 2016. Length: 13 cm (5.1 inches). Has very unusual markings including a rapid transition from red to white ventrally, a black tail margin, yellow stripes below the lateral line, a dark spot on the lateral line and transparent pelvic fins. I know the species well and it appears that at least in this specific fish there is strong evidence of cross-breeding with the Spotted Rose Snapper, Lutjanus guttatus.

Pacific Red Snapper, Lutjanus peru. Fish caught out from coastal waters off Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, September 2020. Length: 23 cm (9,1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).

Pacific Red Snapper, Lutjanus peru. Fish caught out from coastal waters off Point Palmilla, Baja California Sur, April 2012. Length: 25 cm (10 inches).

Pacific Red Snapper, Lutjanus peru. Fish caught out from coastal waters off Mazatlán, Sinaloa, April 2013. Length: 33 cm (13 inches). Weight: 1.9 kg (4.2 lbs). Catch and photograph courtesy of George Brinkman, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Identification reconfirmed by H.J. Walker, Jr., Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California. Note the most unusual coloration of this fish.

The Pacific Red Snapper, Lutjanus peru, is a member of the Snapper or Lutjanidae Family, and is known in Mexico as huachinango del Pacifico. 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 Pacific Red Snapper has an oval body with a uniform reddish-pink silvery sheen. Juveniles have a dark spot under the rear of their dorsal fin. They have a large protractile mouth. Their anal fin has 3 spoines and 8 rays and is pointed; their caudal fin is concave; their dorsal fin has 10 spines and 13 or 14 rays and is rounded; and, their pectoral fins have 16 or 17 rays. They have oblique scale rows above their lateral line.

The Pacific Red Snapper is found over rocky bottoms and close to caves and crevices at depths up to 91 m (300 feet). This depth limit was established by a series of fairly large fish (76 cm; 2 feet 6 inches) that I caught in November 2013 over sandy bottoms in the San José River basin. They reach a maximum of 99.2 cm (3 feet 3 inches) in length of 7.9 kg (17 lbs 7 oz) in weight. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 7.9 kg (17 lbs 7 oz) with the fish caught in off the Uncle Sam Bank, Baja California Sur in October 2001. I believe that a new world record is accessible in the waters adjacent to the greater Los Cabos area; I have seen a picture of such a fish but unfortunately it was neither measured nor retained. They feed on crabs, mollusks, octopus, shrimp, and small fish. The Pacific Red 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 Pacific Red Snapper is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean however they have a limited distribution being found from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, southward along the southwest coast of Baja, in the southern three-fourths of the Sea of Cortez, and along the coast of the mainland south to Guatemala.

The Pacific Red Snapper is most likely confused with the Colorado Snapper, Lutjanus colorado (dark red coloration), the Spotted Rose Snapper, Lutjanus guttatus (rounded anal fin; yellow anal, pectoral, and pelvic fins; large dark spot under rear of dorsal fin), and the Whipper Snapper, Lutjanus jordani (rounded anal fin with 9 rays; horizontal scale rows above lateral line).

From a conservation perspective, the Pacific Red Snapper, is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are however, subject to intense fishing pressure by commercial fishermen and in some locations have been fished to near extinction with populations limited to 6 inch fish. The Pacific Red Snappers are caught by commercial pangueros with hand lines utilizing either cut squid or live red tuna crabs as bait. In the old days, it was not uncommon to see the daily catch of huachinangos packed in ice leaving the dock in cargo vans en route to mainland Mexico for distribution, however, this practice no longer commercially viable. I believe that at least 50% of the Red Snapper sold in the United States are Pacific Golden-Eyed Tilefish, Caulolatilus affinis, the Greater Sand Perch, Diplectrum maximum, or the dreaded Tilapia. A true visual phenomenon is the very rare sight of zillions of Pacific Red Snappers feeding at the surface on schooling Pelagic Red Crab, Pleuroncodes planipes, far out at sea. The Pacific Red Snapper is an important export product of Mexico commanding high prices. They are sold commercially and common in the Asian Markets of San Diego being viewed as excellent food value.

Length versus Weight Chart: I have included a Pacific Red Snapper Weight From Length Conversion Table in this website to allow the accurate determination of a fish’s weight from its length and hopefully to promote its rapid and unharmed return to the ocean.