Schoolmaster Snapper - Lutjanus apodus

The Schoolmaster Snapper (Lutjanus apodus) is a colorful, subtropical fish found over coral reef areas along the coasts of Florida, the Bahamas and the Carribean Sea, though it can range northward along the Atlantic coast of the United States. Adults are 30–35 cm long and weigh 0.4–0.8 kg. It has a robust, slightly compressed body, with a pointed head. Its color varies from silvery to bronze. Fins and tails are yellow and the snout contains blue stripes. As the common name suggests, schoolmaster snapper live in groups of dozens of subjects. They keep a short distance from the sea floor at depths between 3 and 30 meters, prefer the cover provided by coral reefs during the day, and expand their range to seagrass beds at night. dentice lutjanus apodus

The Schoolmaster Snapper forms large resting schools during the day which disperse to forage at night, these schools frequently sheltering in beds of sea grass. These aggregations are defensive and are adopted by the fishes to minimise the chance of any one of them being predated. Studies have reported that the diet of the schoolmaster snapper changes ontogenetically, small individuals, less than 70 mm  in length have a 90% of their diet made up of crustaceans, specifically amphipods and crabs. Larger specimens preferred smaller fish. these making up more than 50% of their diet by weight, and also ate crabs, shrimp, and stomatopods. These differences in diets were attributed to the ability of the bigger fish to open their jaws wider for bigger prey. dentice lutjanus apodus

Schoolmaster Snapper, along with other snapper species, are sought by both recreational and commercial fishermen. but the schoolmaster snapper is not as frequently targeted by commercial fisheries as other sympatric Lutjanus snappers. Their food quality is reported to be excellent. However, the consumption of this species has been linked to ciguatera poisoning in humans. Light spinning and baitcasting tackle are used to fish for schoolmaster snapper. Live shrimp and baitfish, as well as shrimp pieces and cut bait, are the best natural bait. Like other snapper species, it is a popular food fish.

(extract from Wikipedia)

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