Balao, Hemiramphus balao

Balao, Hemiramphus balao. The pictured fish was an interesting find in Los Cabos waters, Baja California Sur. It showed up one morning in the Panga frozen and packaged in plastic labeled “Ballyhoo. Packaged in Pompano Beach, Florida.” Length: 25 cm (9.8 inches).

The Balao, Hemiramphus balao, is a member of the Halfbeak or Hemiramphidae Family, that is also known as Ballyhoo, and in Mexico as aqujeta balao. Globally, there are ten species in the genus Hemiramphus, of which three are found in Mexican waters, two in the Atlantic and one in the Pacific Ocean.

The Balao has an elongated cylindrical body. They are dark greenish-black dorsally and silvery ventrally with dark fins. Their lower jaw extends into a long beak whereas their lower jaw is short and triangular. The tip of their lower jaw and the upper lobe of their caudal fin are blue. Their beak is 16% to 20% of body length. Their anal fin has 10 to 13 rays; their caudal fin is deeply forked with the lower lobe being larger than the upper lobe; their dorsal fin has 11 to 15 rays; their pectoral fins are mid-sized reaching past the nasal pit (a key to identification); and, their pelvic fins are on the abdomen well back on the body and extend past the dorsal fin origin. Their anal and dorsal fins are well back on the body with bases opposite each other. They have 35 to 37 gill rakers. They are covered with large smooth scales. Their lateral line is low on the body.

The Balao is an oceanic pelagic species normally found far out at sea found on the surface over sandy bottoms at depths up to 6 m (20 feet). They reach a maximum of 40 cm (16 inches) in length. They feed on planktonic organisms and small fish. In turn they are preyed upon by birds, dolphins, dorados, marlins, porpoises, squids, and tuna. Reproduction is oviparous with females releasing large eggs containing a sticky substance that allows the eggs to attach to floating debris. The Balao is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Balao is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Caribbean.

The Balao is most likely confused with the Ballyhoo Halfbeak, Hemiramphus brasiliensis (orange-red top caudal fin lobe; pectoral fins not reaching nasal pit).

From a conservation perspective the Balao is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are caught in nets off southern Florida, including the Keys, and are utilized as a big game bait fish. They are unfriendly to divers and flee quickly.