Yellow Tailed Snapper Facts

The yellow tailed snapper lives in both temperate and tropical areas, and is known for being both edible and good for sport fishing.

  1. Features

    • The Ocyurus chryurus, commonly called the yellow tailed snapper, is a salt water fish that can live for up to 14 years or more. It has a slender body that can grow up to around 40 inches and a weight of nine pounds, with a blueish-olive green coloring and a yellow stripe running mid-laterally down its sides starting from the snout. Yellow spots cover the skin of its upper body.

    Geography

    • Although most common in southern Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean, the yellow tailed snapper can also be found living in a range from Massachusetts down south to Brazil, as well as Bermuda, the Gulf of Mexico, and the West Indies.

    Purpose

    • While not used as often in cooking as the red snapper, the yellow tailed snapper will be used in some recipes that call for a fish with flaky, white meat. They are also popular as a sport fish that can be caught on light tackle.