trigger fish - UK ?

[liamm]

Ive been looking for a decent website but cant find one to help.

I was having a nature prodding dive about a fortnight ago and came across what i think may have been a group of trigget fish or parrot fish. They were big (ish) i guess 12 inches long and at the time i thought blue grey - but the light was very poor?

Can anyone link to a site that has pictures to help with id?

Do either of these fish frequent UK / Irish waters?

[Two Hats]

They certainly sound like Trigger fish, and they do come into UK waters, usually in summer though.

Triggerfish Balistes capriscus (British Marine Life Study Society)

[.Woody]

Apparently they are seen on the Royal Adelaide, a wreck off Chesil Beach, Portland

[jb2cool]

I've got a pic i took of the south coast last year. I'll post it up when i get home. I don't think trigger fish are that uncommon on the south coast of england.

[Kirstie]

Saw my first (and only) one last year on the Breakwater Fort in Plymouth, in about 12m. I was so busy making sure the divers I was guiding saw it, that I forgot to take a photie

[Captain Calamity]

Apparently they are seen on the Royal Adelaide, a wreck off Chesil Beach, Portland

Correct. I dived the Ad 2 yrs ago with Jolly Roger and there were hundreds of them mooching around. They are only around for a few months of the year though, and only on that wreck.

[scubadec]

Trigger fish are becoming very common in Ireland over the last few years, Usually they came in June -September, but this year it was later, September - present. I saw 3 on a night dive 3/4 weekends ago. But some club members have seen them since then.

[Okeanos]

There's a reef off Newquay called Milky Rough Trigger Fish frequent.

[11431]

Have a look at
Fish Base : Fish Identification web site

that'll help you with the ID (on this and other tricky fish like critters...)

[11431]

And here it is;

Fishbase : Balistes capriscus, Grey triggerfish