Australasian snapper
Encyclopedia
The Australasian snapper or Pagrus auratus is a species of porgie found in coastal waters of New Zealand
and Australia
. Although it is almost universally known in these countries as snapper it does not belong to the Lutjanidae
family. It is highly prized as an eating fish.
: "pink snapper" to distinguish it from other unrelated species.
New Zealand: snapper (or New Zealand snapper when there is need to distinguish from other species of snapper).
Australia: cocknies (young smaller than legal size); red bream or pinkies (legal size), squire or squirefish (when bigger), snapper (at full size).
Victoria: also Schnapper (ref: Schnapper Point, Mornington).
South Australia: the name "ruggers" is often used for smaller fish of legal size
New Zealand Māori
: tamure (adultfish), karati (juveniles).
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.
in the west, and Cape Manifold
in Queensland
in the east. 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 200 m 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 vary with some stocks (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 much slower, a 10 kg adult is probably 20 years old, and a fish at the maximum size of 1.3 m long and 20 kg is probably 50 years old. Sexual maturity is reached at about 30 cm long and a small percentage of the males will turn into females at puberty. Anglers are advised not to take immature fish, so as not to reduce breeding stock. The legal size in Australia varies by state, from 35 cm and a bag limit of 5 fish per person in Queensland
to 50 cm in Western Australia
. 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, however given the slow growth rates of this species, there is need to consider area closures and/or further increasing 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
.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Although it is almost universally known in these countries as snapper it does not belong to the Lutjanidae
Lutjanidae
Snappers are a family of perciform fish, mainly marine but with some members inhabiting estuaries, feeding in freshwater. Some are important food fish. One of the best known is the red snapper....
family. It is highly prized as an eating fish.
Regional variation in naming
Western AustraliaWestern Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
: "pink snapper" to distinguish it from other unrelated species.
New Zealand: snapper (or New Zealand snapper when there is need to distinguish from other species of snapper).
Australia: cocknies (young smaller than legal size); red bream or pinkies (legal size), squire or squirefish (when bigger), snapper (at full size).
Victoria: also Schnapper (ref: Schnapper Point, Mornington).
South Australia: the name "ruggers" is often used for smaller fish of legal size
New Zealand Māori
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
: tamure (adultfish), karati (juveniles).
Aboriginal people
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
of the Port Jackson
Port Jackson
Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia. It is known for its beauty, and in particular, as the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge...
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.
Habitat
The misha fish is found on all coasts of New Zealand, especially in the north. In Australia it is found along the south coast and as far north as Coral BayCoral Bay, Western Australia
Coral Bay is a small town on the coast of Western Australia, 1,200 km north of Perth. It exists primarily for tourism, with a side industry of fishing...
in the west, and Cape Manifold
Cape Manifold
Cape Manifold is a coastal headland in central Queensland, Australia.It was named by Captain Cook when he saw it from Keppel Bay on 27 May 1770, "from the Number of high Hills over it". He spelt it both Manyfold and Manifold in different journal entries, today Manifold is usual....
in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
in the east. It is also found on the coast of Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
but in smaller numbers. The fish spawn in inshore waters and live in rocky areas and reefs of up to 200 m 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 vary with some stocks (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 much slower, a 10 kg adult is probably 20 years old, and a fish at the maximum size of 1.3 m long and 20 kg is probably 50 years old. Sexual maturity is reached at about 30 cm long and a small percentage of the males will turn into females at puberty. Anglers are advised not to take immature fish, so as not to reduce breeding stock. The legal size in Australia varies by state, from 35 cm and a bag limit of 5 fish per person in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
to 50 cm in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. 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, however given the slow growth rates of this species, there is need to consider area closures and/or further increasing 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
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
.
External links
- Snapper, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation.