Triggerfishes are about 40 species of often brightly colored fishes of the family Balistidae. Often marked by lines and spots, they inhabit tropical and subtropical oceans throughout the world, with the greatest species richness in the Indo-Pacific. Most are found in relatively shallow, coastal habitats, especially at coral reefs, but a few, such as the aptly named oceanic triggerfish (Canthidermis maculata), are pelagic. While several species from this family are popular in the marine aquarium trade, they are often notoriously ill-tempered.[1][2]

Due to an expiration of a Hawaiian state law, the trigger fish ceased to be the state fish of Hawaii in 1990.[3] On April 17, 2006, bill HB1982 was presented to the Governor of Hawai?i which permanently reinstated the reef triggerfish (humuhumunukunukuapua?a) as the state fish of Hawai?i.[4] The bill passed into law on May 2, 2006 and was effective upon its approval.[5][6]

The 1933 popular song "My Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii" included the Hawaiian name in its refrain, and song of this title was included in the High School Musical 2.

Humuhumunukunukuapua?a means "triggerfish with a pig-like short snout". It is not, as often claimed, the longest fish name in Hawaiian; that distinction belongs to lauwiliwilinukunuku?oi?oi ("long-snouted fish shaped like a wiliwili leaf"), the butterflyfish Forcipiger longirostris. For the purposes of religious sacrifices, every land animal in the Hawaiian islands had an equivalent in the sea.[citation needed] The Humuhumunukunukuapua‘a was seen as equal to a pig.

Triggerfishes are various, often brightly colored fish of the family Balistidae. Often marked by lines and spots, they inhabit warm coastal waters of the Atlantic, Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific.

Triggerfish have an oval, highly compressed body. The head is large, terminated in a small but strong- jawed mouth with teeth adapted for crushing shells. The eyes are small, set far back from the mouth, at the top of the head. The anterior dorsal fin is reduced to a set of three spines. The first spine is stout and by far the longest. All three are normally retracted into a groove. The ventral and the posterior dorsal fins are capable of undulating from side to side to provide slow speed movement. The sickle shaped caudal fin is used only to escape predators). The two pelvic fins are overlaid by skin for most of their length and fused to form a single spine, terminated by very short rays, their only external evidence. Gill plates operculum too, although present are not visible, overlaid by the tough skin, covered with rough, rhomboid scales, that forms a stout armor on their body. The only gill opening is a vertical slit, directly above the pectoral fins. This peculiar covering of the gill plates is shared with other members of the Tetradontae order. Each jaw contains a row of four teeth on either side, while the upper jaw contains an additional set of six plate-like pharingeal teeth.[1] As a protection against predators, Triggerfish can erect the first two dorsal spines: The first, (anterior) spine is locked in place by erection of the short second spine, and can be unlocked only by depressing the second, “trigger” spine, hence the family name “Triggerfish”. Adult Triggerfish of the various species found worldwide, range in size from 8 inches to 3 feet long (20 to 90 cm)

The rather bizarre anatomy of the triggerfish reflects its diet of slow-moving, bottom dwelling crustaceans, mollusks, sea urchins and other echinoderms, generrally creatures with protective shells and spines. Triggerfish are usually found over hard bottom where such prey occur. Some triggerfish species can be quite aggressive when guarding their eggs. Both Picasso and Titan triggerfish viciously defend their nests against intruders, including scuba divers and snorkelers. Their territory extends in a cone from the nest toward the surface, so swimming upwards can put a diver further into the fishes' territory; a horizontal swim away from the nest site is best when confronted by an angry triggerfish. Unlike the relatively small Picasso triggerfish,the titan triggerfish poses a serious threat to inattentive divers due to its large size and powerful teeth. Triggerfish are notorious bait stealers; rather than swallowing a bait whole, they nibble off small bites of it, making a small, stout hook essential to success in hooking them. Accordingly, the best baits are tough strips of fish skin, squid mantle etc.

Triggerfish, at least the Gray Triggerfish (Balistes Carolinensis) found off the east coast of Florida, are excellent table-fare. Their flesh is white, firm and flavorful, with only a few bits of red flesh which may be scraped off easily at the base of the ventral and posterior dorsal fins. Triggerfish should be eaten in the form of skinless fillets; the stout, totally inedible skin may be removed by puncturing the skin with a sharp-pointed knife, and cutting the skin from the inside to avoid having to cut the scales