Snapper question

[Scott nthQld]

Ok, this might sound like a bit of a stupid question for all you seasoned snapper fisho'd, but I've never caught one big enough to find out for myself. I've caught plenty of squire before moving north, but no knobbies.

What is the knob on a snapper, is it a fleshy protrusion, bony, or is it liike a calloused skin build up?

Thanks

Scott

[brrbear]

hi scott
The bone is shaped under the knob, if that helps.Also it tends to be males that get the knobby shape,whilst the females are the more even shaped fish.
I have often wondered if those big fish from south aus follow the same rules,or are they more like the nz snapper which seem to be mostly clean skins.

[Fafnir]

It's most likely caused by bacteria or a parasite according to Dr. Julian Pepperell a well known marine biologist, which explains why snapper in one region (where the bacteria/parasite is found) will often display large knobs, whilst other large snapper from other regions where the bacteria isn't found do not have these abnormal growths.

He theorises that the bacteria/parasite infection occurs at an early age and affects the bone which causes it to grow into the 'knob' shape as brrbear mentioned. The same bacteria/parasite could also cause the 'fleshy' expansions on the lips/noses of some snapper. This makes sense given that the snapper with large lips, will always have a hump, and those with normal looking lips will not have a hump regardless of how large they are or how old they are.

It is possible to catch large snapper with no knob on their heads in an area where knobbies are commonly found. Therefore, the knob itself does not prove one way or another whether or not the fish is a 'snapper' or a 'squire'. This is important to keep in mind when trying to convince your angling buddies that your last catch was in fact a snapper and not just another squire.

[Scott nthQld]

thanks for clearing that up for me, I've always called all snapper, whether they be 10cm long or any size for that matter, cos to me a snapper is a snapper is a snapper, it you look at your regulations on these fish in QLD a squire and snapper both have the same size limits etc, so if I were to catch a legal one which is it, a snapper or a squire. The DPI says a squire is a juvenile snapper, but the why are the size and bag limits the same? (rhetorical question, just pointing out the obvious beaurocrat influence)