Over the past years, social media posts have been circulating about the need to avoid parrotfish, popularly called loro or molmol in public markets. These posts have been shared tens of thousands of times with the best of intentions, but there’s more to the discussion than simply banning the capture of these colorful reef residents. Just what are parrotfish? Parrotfish are any of the 90 or so fish species belonging to the wrasse, pronounced rass, family. They’re common sights in tropical coral reefs because of their football-like shape, relatively large sizes, usually six inches to over three feet, and their weird swimming behavior. Most wrasses use their pectoral or “arm” fins to glide like mammals. They also have insanely vibrant coloration. Get a psychedelic drug and imagine a green fish. Voila, you get a parrotfish.

Yan, G. (2021, April 25). Finding loro: The truth about parrotfish. Manila Bulletin, p. B-7.