Shoals of trigger fish found in Dorset

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Large numbers of sub-tropical trigger fish have been found swimming around off the Dorset coast, miles away from their homes in the Mediterranean.

According to The Telegraph, the Grey triggerfish, Balistes capriscus, the fish were caught by a biologist from he Southampton Oceanography Centre, Dr Ken Collins.

Collins told The Telegraph that althought the fish have been found in small numbers on the south coast before, they've never been seen in large groups.

Said Collins: "Ten years ago it would be extremely rare for them to come this far north.

"But in recent years they have been known to stray up into our waters during the summer and leave when it gets too cold for them.

"I have only seen two of them at a time and what is exciting about this discovery is the large number of them.

"There were about a dozen, including one or two smaller members. This may be the first sign of them breeding here and this would indicate that they are staying for longer periods."

During the early nineties, dozens of juvenile and adult triggers were also caught off the south coast of the Isle of Wight. At the time, they were so abundant that some fishkeepers were also visiting certain fishing spots to catch the young triggers to keep in their aquaria.