access flesh inside. This species also feeds on crustaceans and their diet includes hard-shelled crabs and small lobsters. They will swim into shallower water so that they can prey on the shellfish which cling to underwater cliff faces and inshore rocks. They will also inhabit areas with good covering of kelp and other seaweeds. The male builds a nest of algae in a crevice in the rocks in which one or more females lay eggs. The male defends the nest until the eggs hatch into pelagic larvae after a week or two. Ballan wrasse do not have stomachs. Human usage Fishery and Sport This species is popular as a food fish in the Orkney Islands off the north-eastern coast of Scotland, and in Galway, a county in the west of Ireland. However, it is not highly regarded as a food fish in much of the UK and Ireland. 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. Aquaculture This fish is one of 5 key species used as cleaner fish to remove sea lice from Norwegian and Scottish farmed salmon, with 3,317,000 fish used in Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout sea pens in 2020 in Norway alone. Along with lumpfish, this species is farmed for this purpose. As with many farmed marine species, commercial larval rearing utilises live prey before transitioning to dry feeds after metamorphosis is complete. The majority of the industry currently uses enriched rotifers and Artemia, but copepod nauplii (Acartia tonsa) and barnacle nauplii (Semibalanus balanoides) are becoming more common as alternatives. This species can also be found in the aquarium trade. References External links Ballan wrasse Fish of the Atlantic Ocean Fish described in 1767 Taxa named by Peter Ascanius