# General > Biodiversity >  Strange Fish at Thurso East

## cullpacket

Found two Triggerfish on the shore 17th Novhttp://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=grey+triggerfish&btnG=Google+Search  &meta=cr%3DcountryUK%7CcountryGB

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## Jeemag_USA

> Found two Triggerfish on the shore 17th Novhttp://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=grey+triggerfish&btnG=Google+Search  &meta=cr%3DcountryUK%7CcountryGB


I am thinking someone got rid of their aquarium and flushed them down the lavvy. I have a friend who has a trigger fish and has a salt water aquarium and he has to keep the tempreature at a good level because these fish like warm water. I think the main drain still pours out slightly to the west of the pier at Thurso harbour. Poor things  ::

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## unicorn

I was thinking that too, it's a shame but lots of people see that as an answer to getting rid of fish.

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## SandTiger

It's not unheard of them reaching here:

23 September 2006 
A *Triggerfish*, _Balistes capriscus_, was discovered washed up on Castletown beach, near Thurso, on the extreme northerly tip of mainland Scotland. These southern fish a now regularly seen in the English Channel but are unusual so far north and was not immediately recognised by the local people.


http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Triggerf.htm has a number of wash-ups on the Scottish coast.

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## Seabird

Blue stinger jelly fish are found in a few southerly locations of Britain and they found their way to the North Coast of Scotland so the arrival of Triggerfish against that backdrop is not so surprising.
The waters off the Scottish coast are still a lot warmer than they should be for this time of year.
It will be interesting to see what else finds it's way to Caithness.

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## northener

Sunfish off Stroma in August this year.

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## SandTiger

> Sunfish off Stroma in August this year.


Saw two side by side this year about a week after one in excess of 100lb was boated at Dunnet - It went back. The recorded record is around 33lb from Shetland.

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## cullpacket

The fish were 30cm long about 1KG, When I was in Angola recently the boys were catching them, they called them Chickenfish they tasted very good

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## Jeemag_USA

> The fish were 30cm long about 1KG, When I was in Angola recently the boys were catching them, they called them Chickenfish they tasted very good


Dang that was a big toilet bowl  :: 

Just kidding, my mistake, the only thing I know about them is they are popular fish to buy for aquariums, I know they can grow big bu the only ones I have ever saw were the size of my hand. Pretty worrying that they can move so far north if they only like warm waters, hopefully not more signs of global warming. I was googling on Triggerfish and saw some photos of bites on a mans hand and arm, apparently they can be pretty ferocious if antagonised and can leave a bit that looks like  circular red cut! Watch your fingers.

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## Rheghead

It is another anecdotal piece of evidence for Global Warming.

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## thebigman

The only two rod caught gilthead bream in Scotland were caught off Dunnet Beach, one in 1991 and the other in 1992 which kind of knocks the global warming theory on e heid.

Lots of triggers about this year down south even I managed to catch one!  About half way down the page here under Tuesday - http://www.efsa-scotland.org/gallery/weymouth2007.htm

Hopefully they will make their way up here as they fight briiliantly.

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## George Brims

I looked those things up. They are a bit boring to look at. When I lived in Hawaii it was always a thrill to meet its cousin, the rectangular triggerfish. It's called the  Humuhumunukunukuapua'a in Hawaiian, and it's the official state fish (they were going to choose the Lauwiliwilinukunuku'oi'oi, but even the locals can't pronounce that one  :: ).

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## scotsboy

Trigger fish are pretty aggressive, I have had a couple of encounters with irate ones when diving.

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## northener

> Trigger fish are pretty aggressive, I have had a couple of encounters with irate ones when diving.


I once got savaged by an irate lobster when diving.

Mind you, I was trying to extract it from it's hidey hole at the time.

I still wake up screaming.


.

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## thebigman

Triggers have an amazing set of teeth, they've been know to cut through the shank of a hook when fishing.

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## Rheghead

> The only two rod caught gilthead bream in Scotland were caught off Dunnet Beach, one in 1991 and the other in 1992 which kind of knocks the global warming theory on e heid.


Why does it iyo knock the global warming theory on the heid?
 ::

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## thebigman

> Why does it iyo knock the global warming theory on the heid?


Weel the fact that fish which are normally caught in Southern waters were here 15 years ago, before global warming was discovered :-)

Hope I'm wrong though cos I'd love to be catching triggers, bream and garfish up here.

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## bluelady

Trigger Fish were a rare sight on the South coast of Britain until about 2004.
Before this they were seen in small numbers that would appear in Summer and go South again in Winter.
Over the last few years their numbers have increased off Dorsets Chesil Beach, Cornwall, and in 2005 they had reached the Isle of Man.
These are warmer waters than we have due to the Gulf Stream.
There are only two possibilities i can think of for their spread Northward.
Others may have more suggestions.
1. Sea temeratures are increasing.
2. They are adapting to colder water.

There are lots of web pages about trigger fish.
If you want to know the facts do the research yourself.
I knew nothing about Trigger fish until it was brought up on this web page.
The link below i found interesting.
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.u...m.php?news=414

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