According to a short reader letter published by The Guardian, the fish known scientifically as Dicentrarchus labrax has several names in use. The item is credited to Guardian Staff and appears in the newspaper's Brief letters feature, which the excerpt indicates also contains other short letters.

The letter states that the species is "properly called the European seabass" in English. It cites an earlier letter printed on 20 October as the basis for that point. The writer adds that plain sea bass is equally acceptable.

The letter also notes that in the United States the fish is most commonly referred to as branzino. The writer, however, says a personal preference for the French name loup de mer, which the letter translates literally as the wolf of the sea.

The writer describes the French name as more exciting than the English alternatives and presents that preference as a personal one. The excerpt available for this report ends partway through the letter's description of the fish, so the full text may contain further detail.

The excerpt does not mention health, diet, or nutrition, and this report does not address those subjects. It also does not show any reply from The Guardian or from other experts on the naming of the fish.

The item was published under the byline Guardian Staff. The excerpt does not give the name or location of the letter's author.

Sources: The Guardian: Sea bass: a fish by any other name | Brief letters.