Common Snook

Q: Can you eat Common Snook?

Sweet, firm white flesh with a mild, clean flavor; low fat and large flakes. Highly regarded as table fare in Florida and the Caribbean; excellent grilled, blackened, or pan-seared.

Q: How big does Common Snook get?

Common Snook can grow up to 140.0 cm long and weigh 24.3 kg.

Q: Where is Common Snook found?

Western Atlantic from South Carolina south through the Gulf of Mexico, entire Caribbean, and along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Central America to Brazil. Frequents mangrove estuaries, tidal creeks, and freshwater rivers. Neritic, estuaries

Q: Is Common Snook endangered?

The conservation status of Common Snook is Least Concern according to the IUCN Red List.

Q: What family does Common Snook belong to?

Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis) belongs to the family Centropomidae in the order Carangaria/misc.

Abstract

A prized inshore game fish of the tropical western Atlantic, the common snook is marked by a bold black lateral line running from gill cover to tail. Pale golden-olive with silvery flanks, it grows to 1.4 metres and ranges from South Carolina through the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean to Brazil, frequenting mangrove estuaries, tidal creeks, and freshwater rivers. Highly intolerant of cold, it cannot survive water below about 12 degrees Celsius, so severe winter chills can trigger local die-offs. Its sweet, firm, large-flaked white flesh is esteemed in Florida and the Caribbean, taken grilled, blackened, or pan-seared. Carefully regulated with seasonal closures, the species is assessed as Least Concern and is targeted on live pilchards and topwater plugs.