Hemiramphidae

balao

Hemiramphus balao

Fish Reaching Forty Centimeters in the Niger Basin

• Tropical
• Regional distribution
• Atlantic Ocean
• Africa
• Central America and the Caribbean
• North America
• South America
• Elongated
• Medium
• Tropical fish

The balao halfbeak (Hemiramphus balao), occasionally called the balao for short, is an ocean-going species of fish in the family Hemiramphidae. It was first described by French naturalist Charles Alexandre Lesueur in 1821. They are used as cut bait and for trolling purposes by saltwater sportsmen.