Gray Triggerfish

Also Known As

Grey triggerfish, Leatherjacket, Leatherneck, Taly

Quick Facts

Region

Southeast

About the Species

U.S. wild-caught gray triggerfish is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.

Population

In the Gulf of Mexico, below target population level but fishing rate promotes population growth. A rebuilding plan is in place. In the South Atlantic, the population level is unknown.

Fishing Rate

At recommended levels in the South Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.

Habitat Impacts

Fishing gear used to harvest gray triggerfish has minimal impacts on habitat.

Bycatch

Regulations are in place to minimize bycatch of sea turtles and smalltooth sawfish that may interact with fishing gear used to harvest gray triggerfish.

Population Status

There are two stocks of gray triggerfish: the Gulf of Mexico stock and the South Atlantic stock. According to the most recent stock assessments:
- The Gulf of Mexico stock is not overfished but still rebuilding to target levels (2015 stock assessment), and not subject to overfishing based on 2020 catch data. Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART. The stock is rebuilding and a rebuilding plan is in place.
- Scientists conducted an exploratory assessment of South Atlantic gray triggerfish in 2001 and determined that the stock was not subject to overfishing, but overfished status is unknown. A formal stock assessment has not been conducted.
Scientists from NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center monitor the abundance of these populations. Scientists, managers, and stakeholders assess the status of these stocks through the Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) process.

Appearance

Adults are primarily olive-gray, have blue spots and lines on the upper body and dorsal (back) fin, and the upper rims of their eyes are blue.
Adults have the ability to change color, particularly during the spawning season (April to August). Males turn a dark charcoal gray, while nesting females display a contrasting white and black color pattern.
Juveniles are yellowish with small violet dots and can have large, irregular dark patches on the body and fins.
Juveniles also have saddle markings and light spots on their dorsal (back) and anal fins.
Triggerfish get their name from spines on the dorsal (back) fins that can be used as a predator defense and for anchoring. The first spine is large, and when erect it remains so until the fish deflexes the smaller second spine, “triggering” the first. When a triggerfish is threatened it will dive into a tight crevice and anchor itself into place by locking its erect spine.

Biology

Triggerfish can grow to be up to 13 pounds, 28 inches fork length (length from the tip of the snout to the center of the fork of the tail), and 16 years old.
Males are larger than females.
Triggerfish become sexually mature at approximately 2 years old.
Spawning occurs from April to August. Male gray triggerfish establish territories, build nests in the sand, and entice females into the nest to spawn. The male and female tightly circle one another in the nest, rapidly changing color, and the female deposits eggs in the nest shortly afterward.
Females deposit an average of 772,415 eggs. After fertilization females aerate the eggs by fanning and blowing on them.
One male can defend up to three active nests on one reef. An active nest is defined as one female on the nest guarding and aerating the eggs. Females also guard the nest from predators, such as wrasses, groupers, and red snappers.
Eggs hatch within 24 to 48 hours and the larvae travel to the surface, where they often live among mats of planktonic (open ocean) Sargassum, a floating brown algae.
Larvae and juveniles spend 4 to 7 months in the planktonic environment before they move to the ocean bottom.
Adults primarily eat benthic invertebrates including crabs, sea urchins, shrimp, sand dollars, lobsters, and mollusks. They have a small mouth with a strong jaw and specialized teeth used to crush and chisel holes in their hard-shelled prey. Gray triggerfish sometimes direct a stream of water over sandy ocean bottom habitat to expose sand dollars to eat. Juvenile gray triggerfish feed on hydroids, barnacles, and polychaetes.
Amberjack, grouper, and sharks prey upon adult gray triggerfish; tuna, dolphinfish, marlin, sailfish, and sharks prey upon juvenile gray triggerfish.

Where They Live

Gray triggerfish are found in the western Atlantic Ocean from Nova Scotia south to Argentina, including Bermuda and the Gulf of Mexico.

Fishery Management

NOAA Fisheries and the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Councils manage the gray triggerfish fishery.
In the South Atlantic, managed under the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan:
- Recreational and commercial fishery minimum length limits in federal waters off the east coast of Florida.
- Recreational bag limits.
- Annual catch limits and accountability measures, with automatic triggers to prevent overfishing if the catch limit is exceeded, including shortened future fishing season (recreational) or reduced future catch limits (commercial).
- Requirements to carry NOAA Fisheries approved sea turtle release gear and follow smalltooth sawfish release protocol to reduce bycatch impacts to protected species.

In the Gulf of Mexico, managed under the Reef Fish of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Plan:
- Recreational and commercial minimum size limits, daily bag limits, and seasonal closures to promote spawning and slow the rate of harvest.
- Annual catch limits with automatic triggers to prevent overfishing if catch limit is exceeded, including shortened future fishing season (recreational) or reduced future catch limits (commercial).
- Requirements to carry NOAA Fisheries approved sea turtle release gear and follow smalltooth sawfish release protocol to reduce bycatch impacts to protected species.