The Australasian snapper (''Chrysophrys auratus'') or silver seabream is a species of

porgie The Sparidae are a family of fish in the order Perciformes, commonly called sea breams and porgies. The sheepshead, scup, and red seabream are species in this family. Most sparids are deep-bodied compressed fish with a small mouth separated by a ...

found in coastal waters of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, Philippines, Indonesia, mainland China, Taiwan,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and New Zealand. Its distribution areas in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are disjunct. Although it is almost universally known in Australia and New Zealand as snapper, it does not belong to the snapper family, Lutjanidae. It is highly prized as an edible fish, with a sweet sea taste and a firm texture. The species name is ''Chrysophrys auratus'', but previously referred to as ''Pagrus auratus''.

Regional variation in naming

Australia: cocknies (young smaller than legal size), red bream or pinkies (legal size), squire or squirefish (when bigger), snapper (at full size) Western Australia: "pink snapper" to distinguish it from unrelated species Victoria: also schnapper (ref: Schnapper Point, Mornington) South Australia: the name "ruggers" is often used for smaller fish of legal size Aboriginal people of the Port Jackson area in Australia: they called it ''wollamie'' (also spelt ''wollamai'', and other variations). European colonists there knew it as the "light horseman", for the resemblance of the fish's skull to the helmet of a

light horseman Light cavalry comprised lightly armed and armored cavalry troops mounted on fast horses, as opposed to heavy cavalry, where the mounted riders (and sometimes the warhorses) were heavily armored. The purpose of light cavalry was primarily rai ...

. New Zealand: snapper (or New Zealand snapper when there is need to distinguish from other species of snapper). New Zealand

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

: ''tāmure'' (adult fish), ''karatī'' (juveniles)

Habitat

The Australasian snapper is found on all coasts of New Zealand, especially in the north. In Australia, it is found along the south coast, mainly near Kiama,

Berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

, Gerringong,

Gerroa Gerroa is a coastal town in the Municipality of Kiama, in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia 133 kilometres south of Sydney. It is considered to be the southernmost town in the Illawarra region. Nearby towns are Gerringon ...

Huskisson William Huskisson (11 March 177015 September 1830) was a British statesman, financier, and Member of Parliament for several constituencies, including Liverpool. He is commonly known as the world's first widely reported railway passenger casu ...

, Vincentia, and Shoalhaven. It is also found on the coast of Tasmania, but in smaller numbers. The fish spawn in inshore waters and live in rocky areas and reefs of up to deep. They school, and will migrate between reefs. Larger fish are known to enter estuaries and harbours, for example Port Phillip Bay has a renowned seasonal snapper run. Growth rates within the wild stocks vary with some (i.e. the Hauraki Gulf, NZ) growing rapidly and to a smaller maximum length, while stocks in east and west Australia are known to grow more slowly. The species is capable of living about 40 years throughout much of its range in Australia, and the Australian recordholder of 40 years and 10 months was a large-nosed male, caught on 1 September 2007 off Bunbury, West Australia, and photographed on the day of capture. Sexual maturity is reached at about long and a small percentage of the males will turn into females at puberty. Large individuals of both sexes develop a prominent hump on the head.Dianne J. Bray & Martin F. Gomon, 2011, Snapper, Chrysophrys auratus, in Fishes of Australia, accessed 09 Sep 2014, http://www.fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/678 Anglers are advised not to take immature fish, so as not to reduce breeding stock. The legal size in Australia varies by state, from and a bag limit of five fish per person in Queensland to in Western Australia. During spawning, these fish obtain a metallic green sheen which indicates a high concentration of acid buildup within the scales' infrastructure. Minimum sizes are supposed to be designed to allow these fish to participate in spawning runs at least once before they become available to the fishery, but given the slow growth rates of this species, a need exists to consider area closures and/or further increase the minimum sizes in each state to reduce the chances of growth overfishing of the various populations of snapper throughout its range. This may be important with recent developments in technology such as

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a Radionavigation-satellite service, satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of t ...

Fisheries

Catches of Australasian snapper have varied between 25,600 and 34,300 tonnes in 2000–2009, with Japan and New Zealand reporting the largest catches.

References

* *

External links

Fisheries Western Australia - Pink Snapper Fact Sheet

Snapper
Fishfiles by Fisheries Research and Development Corporation * Snapper Fishing Spots in Sydney
Further Information
Red Snappers.
Fishes of Australia : ''Pagrus auratus''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Australasian snapper Australian snapper Marine fish of Australia Marine fauna of East Asia Marine fish of New Zealand Fish of Oceania Commercial fish Taxa named by Johann Reinhold Forster Australian snapper

Regional variation in naming

Habitat

Fisheries

See also

References

External links