Mutton snapper (Lutjanus analis) is a saltwater, brackish species recorded in the United States. It is mainly found over reef, at depths of 25–95 m.
Scientific name: Lutjanus analis · Water: Saltwater, Brackish
Size: up to 94 cm
The mutton snapper is a lutjanid whose adults occur in continental shelf areas as well as in clear waters around islands, with large adults usually among rocks and coral and juveniles over sandy, usually turtle-grass bottoms. They form small aggregations that disband at night, and they feed both day and night on fishes, shrimps, crabs, cephalopods and gastropods; the flesh is considered of good quality. It is recorded from 25 to 95 m, and it also enters brackish water. Its range is the western Atlantic, from Massachusetts and Bermuda to south-eastern Brazil, including the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, and it is most abundant around the Antilles, the Bahamas and off southern Florida. Maximum length is about 94 cm total length, commonly about 50 cm, and it can live 29 years, maturing at about 43.8 cm. It is a highly commercial species, a gamefish and a commercial aquarium fish, marketed mainly fresh or frozen, with a high price category. Fishing vulnerability is high at 55 of 100 and resilience low. IUCN lists it as near threatened.
Caution: large individuals carry a ciguatera risk. Heat, cold and marinating do not remove the toxin, which concentrates in the liver, roe and head, so avoid eating those parts. Seek medical help if numbness, tingling or a reversed sense of hot and cold follows a meal.
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