Golden snapper (Lutjanus johnii) is a saltwater, brackish species recorded in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia. It is mainly found over reef, coral, estuary, mangrove, at depths of 0–80 m.
Scientific name: Lutjanus johnii · Water: Saltwater, Brackish · Also known as: John's snapper
Size: 30–97 cm
Weight: up to 10.5 kg
The Golden snapper, John's snapper in Taiwan and ikan jenahak in Malaysia, is a deep-bodied lutjanid, silvery with a golden wash and a bold black blotch below the front of the dorsal fin. Its range is the Indo-West Pacific, from East Africa to Fiji, north to the Ryukyu Islands and south to Australia. Juveniles and half-grown fish favour river mouths and mangroves, while adults move out to offshore reef and wrecks. It feeds on fish, crustaceans, crabs and cephalopods. No season has been verified for Hong Kong, and it is catchable all year in Singapore. It reaches about 97 cm and 10.5 kg, and IUCN lists it as Least Concern. South-western Taiwan's sandy-mud bottoms, estuaries, mangroves and oyster racks are the main grounds, fished from rafts and boats, and it fights hard. In Singapore it is a favourite of bottom-boat fishing, where schools produce multiple hook-ups once found. In Malaysia the Selangor estuary, Port Klang and the Matang area of Perak produce fish all year, while Terengganu, the Pahang coast, Kota Kinabalu and the outer reefs off Miri and Bintulu give up the big ones; fishing the bottom at night with a live prawn, small fish or squid strip works best, and the first run is fierce enough that you want some line in hand and the slack wound out. Sold live in Hong Kong markets.
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