Snapper – Tāmare

Snappers are vital for marine ecosystems, helping keep fish populations in check and supporting biodiversity.

Snappers are a diverse group of marine fish belonging to the family Lutjanidae, renowned for their ecological significance and value as food fish. They are carnivorous and typically feed on other fish and crustaceans. Many can grow to large sizes, often reaching around 60-90 centimeters in length and can live for over 60 years.

Where Do Snapper Live?

Snapper species are widely distributed across the world, particularly in tropical and subtropical waters. They commonly inhabit coral reefs, rocky substrates, and seagrass beds. They thrive in depths ranging from shallow coastal areas to deeper offshore waters.

What Are the Best-Known Species of Snapper?

Several snapper species are particularly notable due to their ecological roles and popularity in fisheries, such as:

Northern Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus)
Australasian Snapper (Pagrus auratus)
Yellowtail Snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus)
Mangrove Snapper (Lutjanus griseus)

Why Are Snappers Important to Coastal Ecosystems?

As mid-level predators, snappers regulate the populations of smaller fish and invertebrates and ensure that no single species dominates the habitat. This predatory balance supports biodiversity and contributes to the resilience of marine environments against environmental changes.

The ecological roles of snapper ultimately support coastal fisheries. A stable marine environment ensures long-term food security and livelihoods for communities that depend on snapper populations.

How Do Habitat Changes and Other Threats Affect Snapper Populations?

Snapper populations face several threats that can significantly impact their numbers and health. These include:

Habitat Degradation: Essential habitats, such as coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangroves, are being systematically destroyed by coastal development, pollution, and climate change. This reduces available breeding and feeding grounds for snapper.
Overfishing: Intensive fishing practices, including the use of unsustainable methods like bottom trawling, have led to declines in snapper populations.
Bycatch: Snappers are often unintentionally caught in fisheries targeting other species. Bycatch can reduce juvenile snapper numbers and make it harder for young snapper to reach adulthood and reproduce.

What Can Be Done to Support Snapper Conservation?

Effective conservation of snapper populations requires a multifaceted approach involving the following efforts:

Sustainable Fishing Practices: Implementing and enforcing regulations that set catch limits, size restrictions, and seasonal closures can help prevent overfishing and allow snapper populations to replenish.
Habitat Protection: Habitat protection and restoration projects ensure that snappers always have access to essential breeding and feeding areas. These can involve establishing marine protected areas and regulating coastal development.
Bycatch Reduction: Fishing gear and techniques that minimise bycatch can reduce unintended snapper mortality. For instance, modifying trawl nets to allow non-target species to escape can be effective.
Ecosystem-Based Management: Fisheries must consider the broader ecological context in which they operate and seek to preserve the interdependencies within that ecosystem. In practice, this can means regulating fishing practices to maintain balanced food webs, protecting critical habitats like reefs and mangroves, and setting sustainable catch limits that consider the long-term health of both target and non-target species.

Protecting snapper populations through sustainable fishing and habitat restoration not only preserves biodiversity but also safeguards the livelihoods of coastal fishing communities. A well-managed snapper fishery ensures that future generations can continue to rely on this vital resource.

How Does Habitat Restoration Benefit Snappers?

Habitat restoration projects can support snapper populations in the following ways:

Re-establishing Nursery Grounds: Restoring habitats like seagrass beds and mangroves provides juvenile snappers with safe environments to grow.
Enhancing Food Availability: Healthy ecosystems support a diverse range of prey species and guarantee that snappers have adequate food resources.
Supporting Spawning Activities: Intact and healthy habitats are essential for successful spawning, as they offer appropriate sites for egg laying and development.

At Live Ocean, we’re currently supporting a multi-year project by Dr. Nick Shears and Dr Kelsey Miller from the University of Auckland aimed at restoring the Hauraki Gulf’s kelp forests. Currently, these kelp forests are under threat from kina (sea urchins) as there are not enough predators (snapper and crayfish) to keep the kina numbers in check. By helping to restore the kelp forests, our hope is that the ecosystem will be brought back into balance and associated marine life, such as snapper and crayfish, will return and thrive. For humans, flourishing kelp forests provide food sources, economic opportunities, and an efficient, natural way to process carbon dioxide and regulate the natural climate.