The vast majority of snappers targeted by recreational and commercial fishers are located in deep waters off the west and east coast of Puerto Rico. There are about 70-80 fishermen licensed to fish deep-sea snappers in Puerto Rico. The snapper shown in this video is the queen snapper Etelis oculatus, which is one of the main deepwater species targeted by the fishery.

Very little is known about the life history, habitat preferences, feeding habits, and population dynamics of queen snappers. Prior to this expedition, fishers and scientists reported this species from depths as deep as 450 meters (1,476 feet). During the Océano Profundo 2018 expedition we observed a queen snapper at a depth of 539 meters (1,768 feet) at a site located southwest of Isla Caja de Muertos near Ponce, Puerto Rico, thereby extending the known depth range of this species.