Thick-lipped Grey Mullet Chelon labrosus

The Thick-lipped Grey Mullet is one of the several species (and genera) of Grey Mullet. It is native to coastal and estuarine waters of the northeastern Atlantic from Iceland to Senegal, including the Mediterranean and the Cape Verde Islands. It is grey or grey-brown on top, grey-striped on the flanks and has a white belly.

It is distinguishable from many similar-looking grey, striped mullets by its thick upper lip, after which it is named. Its upper lip thickness is more than half the diameter of the fish's eye.

It is typically over 30cm long but can, exceptionally, be over 70cm. It usually lives in large shoals near the water surface, especially along coasts and warm power station effluent or sewage works outlets. It can cope with low salinity of downstream rivers. It also can leap well out of the water. Diet is small fish, crustaceans, molluscs, algae and detritus.