Full Bodied Fish of the Indo-Pacific

There are roughly 39 different species of emperor fish throughout the Indo-Pacific region, belonging to the Lethrinidae family. You can see these reef-dwelling fish hunting along the seafloor for a variety of small animals, as well as sifting through the sandy bottom for tiny crustaceans. Divers can recognize the emperor fish by their typical fish-shaped body, large scales shaped in a diamond pattern, thick lips, and large eyes.

Also called sweetlips or emperor-snappers, these full-bodied fish are popular for eating and are highly susceptible to overfishing. The larger species in the emperor fish family are fished commercially. To see where you can go diving with emperors, explore the dive site map below.