Spring Fishing and Triggerfish

Another fish you can find this time along our Alabama Gulf Coast is triggerfish. Triggerfish are oval in shape and have a compressed body configuration. Their colors include blue, yellow, white, black, and gray. They have detailed designs that often include lines and spots and their color schemes allow them to blend in well with their habitat. They are named for the mechanism of the three spines of their dorsal fin and when startled, the first of these spines locks upright by the second spine and drops when the latter spine is pressed like a trigger. The function of this reaction is to lock the fish firmly in a mass of coral. When attacked, triggerfish dive into the coral and erect their spine, releasing it only when the danger has passed.