THE red bass (Lutjanus bohar) is a hard fighting member of the Lutjanidae, which frequents coral reef environments throughout northern Australia. This species has a wide distribution and can be encountered throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific region from East Africa throughout Asia and as far east as the Line Islands. While red bass are sometimes found in inshore reefs, they are far more common and numerous around offshore reefs and particularly on remote oceanic islands and coral atolls.
They are a fine looking fish with a typical Lutjanid body shape. Their daytime colouration consists of a distinctive dark brown colour to the top of the body grading to deep red flanks, while at night these colours fade to a paler yellow/red. Red bass closely resemble several other lutjanids including mangrove jacks, but can be distinguished from these by the dark upper colouration of the pectoral fins, the yellow colour of the red bass’s eye and the presence of a deep groove or nasal pit running from the nostrils towards the eye. Young red bass and some adults have two silvery-white spots on their back, one below the middle of the dorsal fin and one below the base of the last soft dorsal rays. These spots lead to some people using the alternative name of “two spot red snapper” to describe the species.
Red bass are one of the larger lutjanids, growing to over 90cm long and around 12.5 kg, but are more commonly seen at between 2-5 kg and 50 to 75cm. Recent research on ageing red bass from the Great Barrier Reef suggests this species is quite long lived. Up to 56 annual rings were found in otoliths of large red bass, indicating that the species can live at least 56 years, which is the oldest age reported for any tropical snapper to date. Juveniles of this species can be encountered around coral heads in sheltered reef lagoon waters as shallow as 2m, while adult specimens occur along reef edges and reef slopes to depths of 180m. Female red bass mature at a larger size (around 43cm and nine years of age) compared to males (50 per cent maturity at around 30cm and two-years-old). Spawning is thought to occur over many months from August to April. They feed mainly on fishes, but also shrimps, crabs, and molluscs. They are aggressive predators with very strong canine teeth that must be respected at all times. A bite from a red bass is something that you won’t forget in a hurry! They willingly take baits, trolled lures and jigs during the day, but appear to be particularly active foragers at night.
The red bass is an important food fish in many areas of their range. However, in the coral reefs of the western Pacific (including those in Australian waters), large red bass commonly cause ciguatera poisoning. Because of this, red bass are legislated as a no-take species in Queensland waters, but people are free to take them in the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
