Fish guide
Sea Robins (non-target)
Northern sea robin (Prionotus carolinus) and striped sea robin (Prionotus evolans). Also called Searobin, Robin.
Very common summer bycatch on fluke and porgy baits. Listed so you can identify it. Not a target.
Showing the fish for Rhode Island and Narragansett Bay, RI.
Season in Rhode Island
Animal Diversity Web spring-inshore, late-fall-offshore pattern; URI study (Heinichen et al. 2023): striped searobins sampled throughout Narragansett Bay in 2019. (Our inference)
Season by region
| Long Island | JFMAMJJASOND |
|---|---|
| Cape Cod | JFMAMJJASOND |
| Rhode Island | JFMAMJJASOND |
| Connecticut | JFMAMJJASOND |
Where to find them
Sandy and hard bottom in the bays, inlets and ocean reefs in summer, wherever you fish for fluke.
Bottom.
Handling
- Sharp spines on the cheeks, head and shoulders
- Spiny dorsal fin
Grip from behind the head with a towel, avoiding the cheek and shoulder spines; unhook with pliers.
Keep or release
Usually released. A Northport shop suggests a sea robin strip on a fluke jig as bait (OTW, August 13, 2020).
Typical: About a foot. Large: 15 to 16 in. NY striped sea robin record 3.70 lb (2025).
Limits
FishOS has not checked the RI limits yet. Check the size, bag and season rules with the Rhode Island DEM Division of Marine Fisheries before you keep a fish.
Sources
- Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan): Prionotus carolinus, northern searobin (Official source)
- Heinichen et al. 2023, diet of the striped searobin from Narragansett Bay (URI) (Official source)
- Bigelow and Schroeder, Fishes of the Gulf of Maine (online text): northern sea robin (Official source)
- NYSDEC Marine Recreational Angler Records Program (Official source)