Emperor - Longnose

Dispatch Method:

Beware of the sharp dorsal and anal spines of longnose emperor when handling them. To maximise their eating qualities they should be killed humanely by iki jime or a firm knock to the head before placing them in an ice slurry after bleeding.

Fish Description:

• The largest and longest nosed lethrinid. An elongated olive to whitish-grey emperor, often with scattered irregular dark blotches along the flanks, with a very long snout with wavy dark streaks.
  
• This species feeds mainly on crustaceans, fishes and echinoderms, and larger specimens have been implicated in ciguatera poisoning in some parts of its range.

Fish Distribution:

• This species occurs around coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific region from the Red Sea and East Africa and throughout northern Australia to as far east as French Polynesia, and north to the Ryukyu Islands.
  
• Longnose emperor inhabit offshore coral reefs, where they are particularly common over shallow sandy areas on reef crests, lagoons and reef slopes.
  
• Juveniles are found in shallow sandy areas, often in large schools. Large adults occur in deeper waters along coastal slopes and drop-offs.

Fish Size Common Length:

35-70 cm (14-28 inches), maximum size around 100 cm (40 inches) and 14 kg in weight.