There is evidence to suggest that triggerfish are extending their distribution to the north of the British Isles.ĭivers have found triggerfish to be inquisitive and unafraid when approached. A triggerfish found on the Isle of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides in November 2014. The second part can be pressed down (like a trigger) to lower the spine. The first dorsal fin is raised and the second part of the dorsal fin fits into a groove to keep the spine raised up.

This fin is erected as a means of defence against predators. Triggerfish get their name from their spiny dorsal fins. For this reason, triggerfish are found around stony and broken ground which has a high population of shellfish, invertebrates and crabs. They feed on shellfish and crustaceans, using their small but extremely powerful jaws to crunch through the shells of the creatures they feed on. Triggerfish favour fairly shallow water up to around thirty metres deep. It can also be found along the coastline of North and South America, in Caribbean waters and in parts of the Pacific Ocean. It is at the edge of its distribution along the coastline of the southern parts of the British Isles and is absent from the colder waters of the Nordic countries and the Baltic Sea. This species can be found throughout the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, with its range extending to the coastline of African and throughout the northern parts of the Atlantic Ocean. The grey triggerfish is found throughout the tropical and sub-tropical waters of the world, although it is being found in cooler, temperate seas on an increasing basis.

As recently as 2005 a triggerfish being caught in British waters made national news, but now triggerfish are being caught in the UK more and more often, to the extent that they are approaching near-common status in certain areas around the southern parts of the British Isles and there is evidence to suggest that they are making their way northwards. However, the grey triggerfish is found in UK waters. There are around forty species of triggerfish around the world, with most being brightly coloured species which are resident in tropical and sub-tropical waters.

Trigger fish