Thicklip grey mullet

Uses its lip to scrape food

The thicklip grey mullet is named after its large upper lip. The upper lip is hard and rough, and the mullet uses it to scrape algae off of stones and other surfaces. You can almost say that the thicklip grey mullet uses its lips like teeth.

Lives in warm water

The thicklip grey mullet likes warm water, and so it is mainly in the summer that we find it in Swedish waters. During the second half of the 20th century, thicklip grey mullets gathered around the warm-water outfalls near the nuclear power plants at Barsebäck and Ringhals – and could stay during the winter in these areas. The thicklip grey mullet will probably become more common in Swedish waters if the water temperature is raised due to climate change.

Long-lived fish

It takes a long time for the thicklip grey mullet to grow and mature sexually. In cold waters, it can take up to 11 years before the fish is ready to reproduce. But when it is ready, the female can lay up to 750,000 eggs at once! A mullet that does not get eaten as a fry can live a long time – up to 25 years.