Red emperor
Lutjanus sebae
Illustration: Bloom by Day
Deep-bodied and pale pink, crossed by three brick-red bands — one through the eye, one running back from the dorsal to the belly, one over the tail wrist — which fade as the fish ages until a big one is almost plain red. Young fish hold over rubble and sponge in small groups; the old ones sit deeper and alone, and turn side-on to look at you before leaving unhurried.
how to recognise it
- three dark red bands — through the eye, from the dorsal down to the pelvic fin, and a diagonal one into the lower tail lobe
- reddish to pink body with red fins
- the bands fade with age, so a very big one can be almost plain red
don’t confuse with
- Mangrove jack — the mangrove jack is unbarred as an adult and lives hard against structure, not on open reef
- Saddletail snapper — the saddletail is red-orange with no body bands as an adult, and has a notably large mouth
Field marks read from Fishes of Australia, 2026-10-13. Our wording, their facts. Max size 116 cm FL; 37 kg.
facts
- habitat
- reef
- size
- ~55 cm, to 116 cm
Max size from Fishes of Australia (116 cm FL; 37 kg); the typical size is Bluebird’s, not from a cited source
- records near here
- 42 at 3 of 6 spots
A count of occurrence records near these spots, not abundance. Records are where someone looked.
when it has been recorded
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A gap means no record in the sample, not absence.
the rule
QLD — Min: 55cm · Limit: 5
source
· verified 2026-10-10
no NSW rule listed — check before you dive
QLD s 23 — closed season 6 November 2026 to 10 November 2026 (20 windows listed)
as regulated coral reef fin fish = any species in Fisheries (General) Regulation 2019, sch 7 pt 2 (tables 1-9) — table 8 (tropical snapper and seaperch)
where: coral reef fin fish waters — tidal waters within the boundary from the northern tip of Cape York along latitude 10º41' south ... to latitude 24º50' south, longitude 154º east ... along latitude 24º50' south to the mainland shore
Whether it applies where you dive depends on the spot — open that spot on the map and press “fish here”.
Fisheries Declaration 2019 · Reprint current from 25 September 2026 to date · read 2026-10-13
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.