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Fish, Crustaceans & Cephalopods

Beche De Mer
(Sea Cucumber)

Distribution - Common in coastal and offshore waters from the Capricorn Group in north Queensland around the coast of southern Australia to Coral Bay in Western Australia (including Tasmania). Snapper are found around the southern coastline of Australia. Juveniles mainly inhabit inlets, bays and other shallow, sheltered sea waters. Adults are found near reefs, inshore and offshore and in water depths of between 1 - 200 metres. Snapper mature at approximately 4 years and can live up to 35 years.

Size - Maximum of 20kg and a length of over 1m.

Characteristics - Bright blue spots on body that become less distinct with age, and a background colour of pinkish silver to red. Large fish may have a large bony hump on the head and a fleshy bulge on the snout. Snapper are a popular angling species and are regarded as an excellent table fish. Common names include: cockney bream, reddies and squire, which are the names of juvenile snapper during different stages of their lifecycle.

Snapper are found around the southern coastline of Australia. Juveniles mainly inhabit inlets, bays and other shallow, sheltered sea waters. Adults are found near reefs, inshore and offshore and in water depths of between 1 - 200 metres. Snapper mature at approximately 4 years and can live up to 35 years.

Snapper are a prized table fish and excellent sport fish. They are an important fishery for both commercial and recreational fishermen. They are caught using lines, traps or nets.

Recreational Snapper catches are usually by rod-and-reel and handline methods, using pilchards as bait. Squid and octopus are also a popular bait. Minimum legal size in all states with bag limits in force in New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia.

Fishing for Snapper:

Snapper are structure dwellers, they feed over particular areas of reef, gravel or broken bottom and to catch them consistently, offshore anglers must know some of these places. Snapper can be found over a range of habitats although most of these locations have a hard bottom. High profile reefs are the first choice in most areas. The edges around the reef, particularly the place where hard reef meets mud or sand are always very likely snapper spots. The reef itself is also a good location as snapper will work over most of the reef. Broken bottom featuring gravel, or mud and rock are also highly productive. These rubble areas seem to be favoured by intermediate class fish from just legal up to two kilograms.

Snapper will take a very wide range of baits including prawns, squid, pilchards, fish fillets, shellfish and live baits. The pick of the baits are fresh squid, fillets of striped tuna, frigate or slimy mackerel cut into strips and blue pilchards. If the snapper won't take these baits then they're just not on the bite.

When hooked, Snapper offer a fight of a lifetime. A correctly set drag prior to hookup is crucial, as Snapper will run upon feeling the hook. On average, a 12 kilogram Snapper takes about 20 minutes to reel in, and you can tell when they are getting tired, by their characteristic bumping and shaking of its head. This sometimes indicates a prelude to another run. When the Snapper has broken the surface of the water, gaff it cleanly thru the gills if it is a large one, and use a hand net, if it is a rugger.

Use main line between 10 to 15 kg. If fishing for the larger variety, use a 25 kg trace.

A rod around 1.8m is ideal for boat fishing.

Cooking Snapper:

A tender, white to pinkish flesh and a sweet and mild flavour make snapper a popular and versatile finfish, suited to poaching, steaming, frying, baking, grilling, barbecuing, smoking or sashimi. Try deep frying fillets in batter or crumbs and serve with tartare sauce. Alternatively, leave snapper whole wings, head and all score well on both sides, and deep fry. Serve with sweet chilli, coriander and lemongrass dressing for a perfect result.

Size and Weight
Commonly 600g-1.5kg and 30-45cm, but can grow to 4kg and 58cm.

Price
Medium priced.

To Buy
Sold mainly whole (gilled and gutted) and occasionally in fillet form (usually skinned). In whole fish look for lustrous skin, firm flesh, and a pleasant, fresh sea smell. In fillets, look for yellowish-white, firm, lustrous, moist flesh without any brown markings or oozing water and with a pleasant fresh sea smell.

To Store
Make sure whole fish is scaled, gutted and cleaned thoroughly as soon as possible (completely remove the lining of the abdominal cavity and the white fat along the abdominal wall). Wrap whole fish and fillets in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze whole fish for up to 6 months, and fillets for up to 3 months, below -18ºC.

To Cook
Average yield is 35%. Has a mild, sweet flavour, low oiliness and moist, soft-medium flesh.

Cooking Methods
Steam, poach, pan-fry, bake, grill, barbecue. A good plate-sized fish cooked whole, flesh also works well in mousseline.

Commercial Fishing For Snapper:

Exporters, Importers & Processors, Wholesale & Agents of Snapper -  - Worldwide Trade Seafood Industry Directory of companies and contacts who are Exporters, Importers & Processors, Wholesale & Agents of Snapper

Western Australian Fisheries - Publications and information on popular freshwater and saltwater aquaculture species: Ornamental Fish, Silver Perch, Black Bream, Red Claw, Trout, Yabbys, Marron, Mussels, Pearls, Western Rock Lobster, Trochus, Abalone, Barramundi,  Pagrus snapper, Prawns.