Dog Snapper; Jocn 



are usually redder than shallow-water examples. In Indian River, 

 Florida, the mangrove snapper is regarded as an excellent food-fish, 

 and is an important commercial tlsh. 



Its average weight there is about 2 pounds, and the maximum 

 about 6 or 7 pounds. At Key West it is the most abundant of all the 

 snappers, and attains a length of 3 feet and a weight of 18 pounds, 

 though the average weight does not exceed 5 pounds. Here it is 

 called gray snapper, and is regarded as a warm-water fish, being found 

 in shallow water in summer, and retiring to deeper water in winter. 

 It is said always to run in schools, and to spawn in July and August, 

 usually on the shoals, the eggs being non-adhesive and separating 

 readily from each other at spawning. 



All the snappers are game-fishes of considerable importance, and 

 the gray snapper is one of the very best. Its abundance and wide 

 distribution, the ease with which it may be found at all seasons, to- 

 gether with the readiness and vigour with which it takes the hook 

 and the fairly good fight which it makes, should cause this fish to be 

 much sought after by the anglers who visit our Southern and tropical 

 waters. One of the best places to find it of which we know is in 

 Indian River, from Indian River Inlet southward. Another is in Jack 

 Channel near Key West, where very large ones can be taken by using 

 sardines and pilchards for bait. 



Colour, very dark green above, middle part of each scale brassy 

 black, the edge broadly pearly white; below lateral line the duskiness 

 of middle of scale becomes brassy, and lower grayish; blue stripe 

 below eye in very young; top of head blackish olive; dorsal fin bluish 

 black; caudal violaceous or maroon-black, or bluish; anal rosy; pec- 

 toral pale flesh-colour. Fishes from deep water are much redder. 



Dog Snapper; Jocu 



Lutiaiius jocn (Bloch & Schneider) 



This excellent food-fish is known from Bahia north to the Florida 

 Keys, occasionally straying north to Woods Hole. At Key West, 

 where it is not very common, it reaches a weight of 20 pounds, 

 though the average is much smaller. It is found most frequently in 

 fall and winter about Key West. It does not seem to be abundant 

 about Porto Rico, where it is called pargo Colorado. 



Colour, olivaceous above, rosy or brick-red on side, paler below, 



408 



