09-24-2006, 04:51 AM
Triggers are eaten, though not much in the first world. Which is to say that you'll likely see someone with one on a spear here. I've eaten them in the Carribean, they like most reef fish are a white flakey meat. They can harbour cigaterra a disease that often concentrates toxins in marine (specifically reef fish) fish around the world. That's why one should never eat barracuda which feed largely off of reef fish. Cigaterra was almost responsible for killing off the relocated Bikinians when our gov't moved them off of the Bikini Atoll to test the H-bomb and sink the captured japanese fleet in 1954. There are alos several reef fish species that can be poisononous.
Triggers are among the smartest of fish, exhibiting creative problem solving behaviors which makes them escpecially problematic for aquariums. They tend to try to eat everything and anything place in the tanks. Often they destroy any other inhabitants and any decorations placed in the display. They are one of the few fish species that eats sea urchins. They pick them up with their bony fused jaw (like a beak) and drop them upside-down exposing their soft undersides. They also squirt a jet of water out of their mouth overturning organisms to expose their more vulnerable sides. They often pick at other fish, and can deliver a nasty bite to fishkeepers. They use their anal and dorsal fins to move about like helicopters moving forward and backwards with ease. They have large capable eyes and thick protective scales which make them hard to spear or bite. Their most famous aspect is their "trigger" which is actually a pen sized dorsal ray (bone on top of the fish in the fin) which they raise and can lock into position. This allows the fish to dive into a hole, raise its's spine, lock it into position and thus become nearly impossible to remove, much like a barb on an arrow or a hook. They also possess and ability to rotate a bone in their rear which makes them look bigger or can help to lock them into a crevice. Children growing up in the tropics often learn how to dive for these fish and massage them into releasing their hold.
So, there you go all you ever wanted to know about triggerfish.
Triggers are among the smartest of fish, exhibiting creative problem solving behaviors which makes them escpecially problematic for aquariums. They tend to try to eat everything and anything place in the tanks. Often they destroy any other inhabitants and any decorations placed in the display. They are one of the few fish species that eats sea urchins. They pick them up with their bony fused jaw (like a beak) and drop them upside-down exposing their soft undersides. They also squirt a jet of water out of their mouth overturning organisms to expose their more vulnerable sides. They often pick at other fish, and can deliver a nasty bite to fishkeepers. They use their anal and dorsal fins to move about like helicopters moving forward and backwards with ease. They have large capable eyes and thick protective scales which make them hard to spear or bite. Their most famous aspect is their "trigger" which is actually a pen sized dorsal ray (bone on top of the fish in the fin) which they raise and can lock into position. This allows the fish to dive into a hole, raise its's spine, lock it into position and thus become nearly impossible to remove, much like a barb on an arrow or a hook. They also possess and ability to rotate a bone in their rear which makes them look bigger or can help to lock them into a crevice. Children growing up in the tropics often learn how to dive for these fish and massage them into releasing their hold.
So, there you go all you ever wanted to know about triggerfish.