Chesapeake Bay Program - Sea Robin Background Searobins, which belong to the family Triglidae, are unusual benthic marine fishes that inhabit the sandy bottoms of estuaries and the continental shelf from Nova Scotia to Florida. They live in temperate and tropical waters at depths of 600 feet.
Searobins have large bony heads with ridges and spines.
The undersides of their wing-like pectoral fins are not connected by membranes and thus resemble long fingers, which support them as they travel along the bay or ocean floor in search of food. Searobins feed on a variety of benthic crustaceans and fish , including shrimp, crabs , mollusks and squid. The fish also are known for their ability to produce sound using their large swim bladders. There are 21 species of searobins in North America, but the two species most common to the Chesapeake Bay are the northern searobin and the striped searobin. The northern searobin is the most common searobin in the Chesapeake Bay and is prolific throughout the lower Bay.