Spangled Emperor

2nd Aug 2020

Names

Scientific name: Lethrinus nebulosus

Internationally, it is referred to as the Spangled Emperor. Other common names include Green Snapper, Morwong, North-west Snapper, Sand Bream, Sand Snapper, Yellow Sweetlip, Spanglie, North-West Snapper, and the Yellow Emperor. In the UAE, it is known as Sheri (شعري).

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Spangled Emperor - شعري




Shape and color

The Spangled Emperor has a typical Emperor body shape with a slightly humped back which curves down towards the jaw that is in line with the lower part of the body. The lower body is silver in color, while the upper body and face are bronze-gold in color with some blue marks.




Habitat

It is commonly found swimming around inshore shallow reefs all the way out to continental shelf waters.  It favors deep isolated reefs, coral structures, adjacent sandy areas, small rises, and rubbly gravelly bottom. The young are often found in schools, while their older counterparts are often found swimming individually.




Feeding

It is a carnivorous fish, feeding on many marine species including crustaceans, mollusks, squid, octopus, crabs, shellfish, shrimp, small fish, and many others. 




Fishing season

It is a common fish in the waters of the UAE and can be encountered throughout the year. It does, however, prefer Winter months, and is not as common during the Summer months of June, July, and August.




Fishing method

It can be caught using various fishing techniques including fishing rods with bait or jigs, seine nets, cast nets, and gillnetting.




 Fun facts


  • When an emperor is frightened, it often produces blotchy vertical brown bands across its body.
  • It can have one color pattern when taken out of the water and develop another over the following minutes.
  • It has sharp fins that commonly injure fishermen attempting to remove the hook from the mouth or body.
  • When large quantities of Spangled Emperor fish are caught using gillnets, they all start pushing hard utilizing their strength until it breaks. 




Minimum legal length: 28 centimeters.

Fishing status: Not Banned.


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