Grunion runs commence; see live spawning tonight in San Pedro

Get your flashlights out and your rain boots on. It’s that time of year again: The California grunion are beginning their runs.

Actually, “run” is the more modest term for what the fish are really clambering to do after a high tide on a seashore near you. Numbering thousands at a time, the silvery fish leave the water in the dark of night to have sex on the beach — and some of us adventuresome humans sneak out onto the sands to watch.

The spawning season for the California grunion extends through August. To read more about the creature’s reproductive habits, and to view a schedule of expected runs in spring and summer 2009, see the “California Grunion Information” document provided by the California Department of Fish and Game.

The grunion can be spotted in the act on beaches from Point Conception, Calif., to Point Abreojos in Baja California. The pile of fish pictured above is at Coronado Beach. Grunion runs generally occur three to four nights after new and full moons, according to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium website, but there are no guarantees regarding timing. Sometimes your late-night ventures may be all for naught. One night a couple of seasons ago, I waited two hours on Venice Beach for the fish to show, giving up about 1 a.m. The next day I learned that the fish showed up en masse just an hour after I departed.

As it does annually during the spring and summer months, the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro hosts grunion-viewing events, which begin with an auditorium program ($5 adults, $1 children, students and seniors). The first of these is tonight at 9 p.m., with grunion anticipated between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.

Farther south, at La Jolla Coastal Reserve, naturalists from Birch Aquarium lead gatherings as well, the first of which is scheduled for Saturday, March 28. If you’d like to voluntarily assist research efforts with your grunion-scouting, consider joining Pepperdine University’s Grunion Greeters project.

- Susan Derby, Special to The Times

[Photo: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times]

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This entry was posted on Thursday, March 12, 2009 at 10:23 am by Susan Derby and is filed under Baja California, California, Islands & Beaches, Last Minute, Los Angeles, News, Tips & Advice, Outdoors & Adventure, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Spring, Summer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.