Longtail Red Snapper (Onaga)
Etelis coruscans
Also known as Flame snapper, Longtail snapper, Red snapper, Ruby snapper, Palu-atu, Palu-loa, Palu-malau, Ulaʻula koaʻe
Culinary Profile
Onaga has a delicate flavor and is highly prized for its taste, texture, and appearance.
Onaga has a firm texture and can be prepared in a variety of ways from steaming smaller-sized fish to filets for sashimi.
Onaga is a great source of lean, healthy protein and rich in vitamins.
Gastronomic Specifications
Biology & Habitat
Appearance
The back and upper sides of longtail red snapper fish are deep pink to red and lower sides and belly are pink to white. They have relatively small teeth and proportionally large, red eyes. Their distinctive caudal fins end in long, slender points, and the upper caudal fin lobe is greatly elongated, especially in adults. The tips of the caudal tail may be black or red but not white.
Biology
Spawning occurs between September through December in the Hawaiian Islands and female size at maturity is around 25 inches. Large fish reach more than 30 pounds and 3.3 feet long. Maximum age is estimated to be more than 50 years old. Onaga are primarily piscivorous so they feed on other fish. Other important prey for onaga include pelagic urochordates, such as salps, and pelagic crustaceans.
Where They Live
Range Longtail red snapper occur in tropical and subtropical waters and are distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Habitat They inhabit hard ocean bottoms at depths from 300 to 1,000 feet. Fishery Management NOAA Fisheries and the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council manage onaga in the United States.
How to Buy & Source
Availability
Year-round.
Source
U.S -wild caught around Hawaiʻi and Pacific Islands Region territories.
Commercial Fishery & Harvest
Fishery Information Onaga are highly prized for their quality texture and delicate taste. Commercial, recreational, and non-commercial fishing in the Pacific Islands encompass fishing communities, habitats, and fishing practices spread over a vast area of nearly 1.5 million square miles of federal waters. Non-commercial fishing includes sustenance, subsistence, traditional indigenous, and recreational fishing. Non-commercial fisheries in the Pacific Islands are major economic contributors to coastal communities, are socially and culturally significant, and marine resources are regularly harvested for non-profit distribution within fishing communities and portions of the catch often are sold to defray expenses.
Nutritional Benchmarking Across 54 Species
Where Longtail Red Snapper (Onaga) ranks against the rest of the catalogue on each of USDA FoodData Central's per-100 g nutrient measures.
| Nutrient | Value | Rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin D | 10.2 IU | 11 / 54 | 80% |
| Choline | 65 mg | 12 / 65 | 82% |
| Protein | 20.51 g | 22 / 111 | 80% |
| Selenium | 38.2 µg | 26 / 106 | 75% |
| Vitamin B12 | 3 µg | 30 / 106 | 72% |
| Omega-3 DHA | 260 mg | 46 / 104 | 56% |
| Phosphorus | 198 mg | 70 / 111 | 37% |
| Omega-3 EPA | 51 mg | 79 / 104 | 24% |
| Zinc | 0.36 mg | 96 / 111 | 14% |
| Iron | 0.18 mg | 98 / 111 | 12% |
Similar by Flavour: Other Delicate-Tasting Species
If you enjoy the delicate flavour profile of Longtail Red Snapper (Onaga), these other species in the catalogue will feel familiar on the palate.
Atlantic Herring
Clupea harengus
Small fresh herring have a more delicate flavor, while larger herring have a fuller, oilier flavor.
Atlantic Pollock
Pollachius virens
Sweet and delicate.
Black Sea Bass
Centropristis striata
Mild, fresh, somewhat delicate flavor.
Bocaccio
Sebastes paucispinis
Delicate, nutty, sweet flavor.
Canary Rockfish
Sebastes pinniger
Delicate, nutty, sweet flavor.
Coho Salmon
Oncorhynchus kisutch
Smaller coho have a delicate flavor. Fillets from larger fish have a mild taste.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Longtail Red Snapper (Onaga) found?
Range Longtail red snapper occur in tropical and subtropical waters and are distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Habitat They inhabit hard ocean bottoms at depths from 300 to 1,000 feet. Fishery Management NOAA Fisheries and the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council manage onaga in the United States.
Is Longtail Red Snapper (Onaga) a good source of omega-3 fatty acids?
Per 100 g raw, Longtail Red Snapper (Onaga) supplies 51 mg of EPA and 260 mg of DHA — the two long-chain omega-3s most cited in cardiovascular research.
Where in the water column does Longtail Red Snapper (Onaga) live?
Range Longtail red snapper occur in tropical and subtropical waters and are distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Habitat They inhabit hard ocean bottoms at depths from 300 to 1,000 feet. Fishery Management NOAA Fisheries and the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council manage onaga in the United States.
What does Longtail Red Snapper (Onaga) eat?
Spawning occurs between September through December in the Hawaiian Islands and female size at maturity is around 25 inches. Large fish reach more than 30 pounds and 3.3 feet long. Maximum age is estimated to be more than 50 years old. Onaga are primarily piscivorous so they feed on other fish. Other important prey for onaga include pelagic urochordates, such as salps, and pelagic crustaceans.
Sustainability Story
U.S. wild-caught longtail red snapper is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.
Stock Structure
There are six stocks of onaga in different island areas across the region. Management for each is tailored to the fisheries and available data in each place. There are no active fisheries in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands nor Pacific Remote Islands Area, so there isn’t data to assess the stocks, but they are believed to be healthy because there is no fishing.
Population
Four stock complexes that include onaga are not overfished and two stock complexes that include onaga have an unknown overfished status.
Fishing Rate
Not subject to overfishing for the four stocks/complexes with active fisheries. The overfishing status is unknown for the remaining two stock complexes with no active fisheries for onaga.
Habitat Impacts
Bottomfish fishing operations, typically using weighted lines and baited hooks, do not have adverse impacts to the habitat.
Bycatch
Regulations are in place to minimize bycatch.
Management
NOAA Fisheries and the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council manage onaga in the United States. Managed under the Fishery Ecosystem Plans for American Samoa , the Hawaiʻi Archipelago , the Mariana Archipelago , and the Pacific Remote Islands Area . Onaga is managed as part of multispecies stock complexes under these four ecosystem plans.
Data Source: NOAA Fisheries
Nutritional Profile
per 100 g raw edible portion · 21 values
Energy
Macronutrients
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Vitamins
Minerals
Source: USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy). %DV is percent of 2,000-kcal daily value for adults.
calendar_month Harvest Season
Frozen available year-round.