Ballan wrasse

Ballan wrasse
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Suborder:	Labroidei
Family:	Labridae
Subfamily:	Labrinae
Genus:	Labrus
Species:	L. bergylta
Binomial name
Labrus bergylta Ascanius, 1767
Synonyms
Crenilabrus multidentatus Thompson, 1837 Labrus balanus Fleming, 1828 Labrus ballan Bonnaterre, 1788 Labrus berggylta Ascanius, 1767 Labrus comber Bonnaterre, 1788 Labrus donovani Valenciennes, 1839 Labrus lineatus (non Bonnaterre, 1788) Labrus maculatus Bloch, 1792 Labrus neustriae Lacepède, 1801 Labrus nubilus Valenciennes, 1843 Labrus reticulatus Lowe, 1839 Labrus tinca (non Linnaeus, 1758) Labrus variabilis Thompson, 1837

The ballan wrasse or simply wrasse, Labrus bergylta, is a wrasse of the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Its maximum length is 66 cm. All ballan wrasses are female for their first eight years before a few change into males. Large ballans are almost certainly male.

It is popular as a food fish in the Orkney Islands and in Galway.

In recent years, it has become a popular catch-and-release target for sport fishermen using light fishing tackle, particularly those employing soft plastic lures.

References

• Alan Davidson, North Atlantic Seafood, 1979, ISBN 0-670-51524-8.
• David Erwin, Bernard Picton, "Guide to Inshore Marine Life" The Marine Conservation Society 1987 ISBN - 907151 345
• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2005). "Labrus bergylta" in FishBase. May 2005 version.

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