Leucistic red snapper
Catching a leucistic fish is like finding a needle in a haystack, and on June 11 angler Johnathon Morris found that needle while fishing in federal waters off the coast of New Smyrna Beach. Johnathon caught a red snapper that was completely white, and after viewing the photo our marine fisheries biologists confirmed it had a condition known as leucism. This is a condition in animals characterized by reduced pigmentation. Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in all types of skin pigment, not just melanin. One key difference between albinism and leucism is in eye color. This fish had black eyes, whereas animals with albinism typically have red eyes due to the underlying blood vessels showing through. It's a very rare catch, and we’d like to thank Nicole White for sharing this photo with us. She was on the boat that day and told us the snapper was vented and released after photos were taken.
Leucistic red snapper
Catching a leucistic fish is like finding a needle in a haystack, and on June 11 angler Johnathon Morris found that needle while fishing in federal waters off the coast of New Smyrna Beach. Johnathon caught a red snapper that was completely white, and after viewing the photo our marine fisheries biologists confirmed it had a condition known as leucism. This is a condition in animals characterized by reduced pigmentation. Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in all types of skin pigment, not just melanin. One key difference between albinism and leucism is in eye color. This fish had black eyes, whereas animals with albinism typically have red eyes due to the underlying blood vessels showing through. It's a very rare catch, and we’d like to thank Nicole White for sharing this photo with us. She was on the boat that day and told us the snapper was vented and released after photos were taken.