 | Click here to purchase your breathtaking printed copy of the
ANGLER'S GUIDE TO FISHES OF THE GULF OF MEXICO!
This book is a given for recreational and commercial fishermen as well as anyone who loves the outdoors! Since most anglers identify their fish by reviewing illustrations rather than using scientific keys, the authors have succeeded in making fishing easier by providing superb illustrations and detailed diagnostics for fish identification. A valuable, one-stop reference tool for everyday anglers, fisheries experts, biologists, and outdoors writers, this guide includes intensively researched information on 207 species of saltwater fish, essential data on each species’ habitat, identification, typical size, and food value. By Jerald Horst & Mike Lane, illustrated by Duane Raver. 207 species. |
|
| Other Names : | Trigger, Triggerfish, Common Triggerfish, Gray Triggerfish | | Range & Habitat : | The gray triggerfish is found Gulfwide in offshore waters 40-200 feet deep. It is most common near wrecks, rocks, reefs, and offshore oil and gas platforms. Juveniles are often nearer to shore. It is most common in the northern Gulf. | | Identification & Biology : | Triggerfish get their name from the large trigger-like first dorsal spine, followed by two smaller spines, the second of which can lock the large spine upright. The body of this species is deep and very compressed laterally. The color is a drab gray overall. Younger fish have several darker, blotchy bars that fade with age. They have tiny chisel-like mouths and sandpaper-like skin.
The gray triggerfish uses its powerful jaws and teeth to eat shelled animals such as barnacles, snapping shrimp, crabs, mussels, and sea urchins. It also eats planktonic larvae of fishes and crustaceans. Gray triggerfish are slow-growing, reaching sexual maturity at 12 inches and 3 years old. Females live longer and grow larger than males. Spawning takes place offshore in a guarded nest during the early summer months. | | Size : | They average 1-3 pounds, but larger fish are not rare. | | Food Value : | Excellent, but they are difficult to clean | | Description by: Jerald Horst, Associate Professor, Fisheries - LSU AgCenter |
|
