Golden snapper
Lutjanus johnii
Illustration: Bloom by Day
Bronze-gold with fine lines of reddish scale spots and a large dark blotch high on the side under the front of the dorsal fin. It holds station on structure in turbid estuary water — snags, bridge pylons, rock bars — usually in small numbers.
how to recognise it
- a large black blotch mainly ABOVE the lateral line, below the front dorsal-fin rays
- a reddish-brown spot on each scale, forming fine horizontal lines along the side
- yellowish with a bronze to silvery sheen, silvery-white below
don’t confuse with
- Mangrove jack — the mangrove jack is dark reddish-brown to coppery with no black side blotch
Field marks read from Fishes of Australia, 2026-10-15. Our wording, their facts. Max size 97 cm TL.
facts
- habitat
- estuary
- size
- ~50 cm, to 97 cm
Max size from Fishes of Australia (97 cm TL); the typical size is Bluebird’s, not from a cited source
- records near here
- 2 at 1 of 6 spots
A count of occurrence records near these spots, not abundance. Records are where someone looked.
when it has been recorded
JFMAMJJASOND
A gap means no record in the sample, not absence.
the rule
QLD — Min: 35cm · Limit: 5
source
· verified 2026-10-10
no NSW rule listed — check before you dive
no closed season recorded for this species — that is not the same as open; check the official page
Rules checked 2026-10-13 against qld.gov.au
Rules change. Check before you dive.
Occurrence data: Atlas of Living Australia (ala.org.au), CC-BY 4.0.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.