Red Bass

By Ross Marriott

Red bass Lutjanus bohar. Photo by CRC Reef

Most people who fish the outer reefs of the Great Barrier Reef are familiar with the red bass Lutjanus bohar, a large tropical snapper or lutjanid which is closely related to other snappers such as the stripey bass, red emperor and mangrove jack. However, unlike other tropical snappers, the large red bass is not usually eaten because it has a reputation for causing ciguatera poisoning throughout the Indo-West Pacific, including the Great Barrier Reef. Nevertheless, some commercial operators keep smaller red bass because they are unlikely to contain high levels of ciguatera. Elsewhere, such as in the Seychelles, red bass are a main target species.

There is very little information available to determine what management strategies would be suitable if red bass become a more popular target for the line fishery on the Great Barrier Reef. Therefore, the Effects of Line Fishing (ELF) team from CRC Reef are investigating some basic biological aspects of the red bass to help in its effective management.

The team have found that the red bass are one of the longest lived fish on the reef and can live for over 50 years. The red bass grow slowly to reach their maximum size of 70-80 cm.

This means that the red bass could be vulnerable to adverse impacts from fishing because they are likely to take a long time to mature, and may not be as efficient in replenishing their stock numbers as faster-growing species. The harvest of smaller red bass, because of their perceived reduced risk for causing ciguatera, might impact on red bass populations if many of these fish are immature.

This research is continuing, and will be extended to investigate when red bass become sexually mature and other reproductive characteristics to help fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge. This information will ensure that red bass are adequately protected from any potential increases in fishing pressure on the Great Barrier Reef.