Golden snapper

Golden snapper are one of the most popular reef fish for anglers in the Northern Territory (NT).

They fight hard, taste great and they can grow up to 100cm and 11kg and live up to 20 years of age.

These fish are commonly found on inshore coral and rocky reef areas.

Scientific name

Lutjanus johnii.

Breeding fish form large spawning aggregations from September to April.

During spawning, females are capable of producing millions of eggs.

Once hatched, juveniles will spend several years in estuarine and inshore reef habitats.

As they reach sexual maturity, they will then migrate to offshore reefs. Sexual maturity is around:

Compared to many other fish species in the NT, golden snapper are long lived, slow growing and late maturing.

These biological traits, combined with their schooling nature, make them easy to target and prone to overexploitation.

Golden snapper will take small, deep-diving lures around reefs and other underwater forms. Use squid and pilchard baits.

Offshore golden snapper are often caught by bottom fishing on heavy lines but lighter tackle is fine for estuaries.

All golden snapper are highly prone to barotrauma in depths greater than 10m and should not be targeted for catch and release.