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fishing forecast

red rover

Emmelichthys ruber · Emmelichthyidae · forage fish

Small bottom-dwelling jack, reaching 30 cm and living near oceanic islands. It has a commercial fishery and is almost never seen on the sport angler's line.

Also called: xaréu-vermelho, andorrero, red rover

Scientific illustration of Red rover
maximum
30 cm
depth
100–200 m
location

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period

Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…

the species

everything about the red rover

overview

who is the red rover

Fish of the family Emmelichthyidae, the rovers (peixes-rubi), reaching 30 cm. Adults stay near the bottom, between 100 and 200 m, and juveniles rise closer to the surface. It lives near oceanic islands, moves around the open ocean, and feeds on larger zooplankton. In Latin America it is recorded from Jamaica. Elsewhere in the Atlantic it occurs at Bermuda and Saint Helena. It is a commercial fish of no importance to rod anglers.

Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the red rover; in the meantime, see the similar species.

how to recognize it

identification

Small fish of the family Emmelichthyidae, reaching 30 cm. Adults stay on the bottom, between 100 and 200 m, and juveniles stay near the surface, close to oceanic islands. To tell it from the rubi jack (Erythrocles monodi), which reaches 65 cm, size is the main clue, because the two species live in similar depth ranges.

distribution

where found

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In Latin America it occurs in Jamaica. Outside it, it appears at Bermuda, Saint Helena and near oceanic islands in the Atlantic.

Habitat: Bottoms near oceanic islands, between 100 and 200 m. Juveniles stay near the surface.

what the law says

rules for the red rover

Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.

We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.

catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.

No danger to the angler. It lives on bottoms of 100 to 200 m, and rapid ascent causes barotrauma, so release calls for care.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00389, b = 3.12; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.

estimated weight

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sources and references

Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.

  1. scientific FishBase: Emmelichthys ruber (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
  2. scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Emmelichthys ruberNames by country and language.
don't confuse

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