For Southern California boaters and anglers, recent El Niño surprises have come in various shapes and sizes, from giant manta rays and hammerhead sharks to smaller wahoo and mahi-mahi.
But perhaps the "coolest" exotic marine species to have been encountered in the region, thanks to abnormally warm water attributed to El Niño, are baby triggerfish caught and released Friday off Dana Point in Orange County.
"They don’t have to be big to be cool," Clemente Sportfishing declared via Instagram. "We picked up a piece of trash today as it drifted by the boat. A couple of itty-bitty triggerfish flipped out."
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Triggerfish, like other tropical visitors, are more commonly encountered deep
in Mexican waters. Triggerfish, found as far south as Chile, are commonly caught in Mexico's Los Cabos region and in the Sea of Cortez.
Catches are rare off California, but less rare during El Niño years.
But the catch aboard the Clemente might be the first involving baby triggerfish.
Clemente Sportfishing added: "I assume they are finescale triggers but not positive on that. Pretty adorable. They were both alive and well."
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Floating trash reveals 'itty-bitty' El Niño surprises for fishing crew
