Grunion.Org

We are a group of scientists, community members, environmental organizations, surfers, and beach workers dedicated to a better understanding of the habits and habitats of beach-spawning grunion, Leuresthes tenuis...

Grunion 2016

Level W-5 (Walker scale) Grunion Run, June 16, 2014, near Malibu, CA.

Only 2% of runs are categorized by W-5, meaning thousands of fish on shore at one time, over an extensive area of the beach, at peak levels for over one hour.

Documentary

We have completed a short documentary, "Surf, Sand, and Silversides: the California Grunion."

Total running time of the documentary is 25 minutes. It has been the official selection for several film festivals, including the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival, the Newport Beach Film Festival, Huntington Beach SoCal Film Festival, and the Toronto Beaches Film Festival. Awards include sound editing, International Wildlife Film Festival, and award of excellence for script from the Best Shorts Competition, and best short documentary from the Los Angeles City Cinema Festival.

National Geographic posted a video about the grunion using some of our footage.  See it here.

Announcements

• GRUNION SEASON 2016! The grunion are running!
• 2016 Season Grunion Greeters - We will not be holding training workshops this year. HOWEVER we welcome your reports on this site.  Click the link "REPORT OBSERVATIONS" to download a PDF of the data form.  Follow the instructions to submit your report online at the same link after the run. Your reports from any beach are always very important.
• Grunion and Oil on California Beaches - The pipeline break in Santa Barbara and the tar balls arriving in Manhattan Beach have the potential to impact the California Grunion. These beaches and those nearby are known and potential spawning habitats for the California Grunion. Clean-up crews are aware of the possible presence of eggs buried under the sand and are cleaning by hand to minimize disturbance. We will have observers on beaches during upcoming run nights to continue to assess the situation.
• Beach Ecology Coalition spring meeting - The Thirteenth Annual Spring Field Day of the Beach Ecology Coalition will be held at Oceanside Harbor on May 18, 2016.  This group is composed of beach managers, lifeguards, park rangers, environmentalists, and coastal scientists. (more information)
• We are starting a pilot program for a new volunteer opportunity to monitor sandy beach ecosystems in California. See AllAshore.org for information.
• New book, "Beach-Spawning Fishes: Reproduction in an Endangered Ecosystem" by Dr. Karen Martin now available here.
• NO TAKE of grunion is permitted during April and May - The National Marine Fisheries Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration define TAKE as: "to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct."
• We encourage "observe and conserve" at all times.
• No type of gear, traps, or nets is ever allowed for grunion. If you observe poaching or any violations of grunion fishing regulations, such as use of gear or nets, please advise the California Department of Fish and Game at this link, http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/protection.asp or call their hotline,
  1-888-DFG-CALTIP(1-888-334-2258).

Orange County beach grunion run, April, 2016, photo by Julianne E. Steers

News and Stories

• "50 Reasons to Love the Central Coast" (see reason #18)
  By Heidi Dvorak and Jaime Lewis in "805 Living"
• "G is for Grunion: Myth or Magic"
  By Nancy Oster in EdibleSantaBarbara.com; photos by Grunion Greeter Steve Howard
• "See How They Run"
  By Gareen Darakjian in Pepperdine Magazine; photos by Dan Harding
• Grunion Run In San Diego
  By Rajam Roose, afar.com
• Grunion Make Sexy Summer Runs To Beach On High Tide
  By Ashleigh Ruhl, Gazettes.com
• Grunion Run is Smaller This Year at Area Beaches
  By Mackenzie Reiss, Orange County Register
• Guide to Watching the Grunion Run In Southern California
  By Michelle Mears-Gerst, from CBSLos Angeles.
• The Amazing Grunion Comes To a Beach Near You
  Podcast by Philip Friedman on the Phil Friedman Outdoors radio show, June 8, 2013.
• Aquarium to Host Beach-Themed Kelp Art Exhibit
  Aquarium of the Pacific.
• "The Grunion Are on Approach"
  By Alysia Gray Painter, from NBC Southern California, March 5, 2013
• "Kelp, Cobble Remain Under San Clemente Eco Policy"
  By Fred Swegles, from Orange County Register, February 6, 2013
• "Why Stranded Kelp Is Good For Beach Ecology"
  By Molly Peterson, from KPCC Southern California Public Radio
• "What Is A Healthy Beach?"
  By Carolyn Labarbiera, from Surfrider Foundation
• "Beach Ecology Workshop to Focus On Value of Kelp"
  By Jessica E. Davis, from MalibuPatch
• "Keep Up With the Grunion Run"
  By Ellen Alperstein, from LA Observed, August 15, 2011.
• "Seriously, how to [sic] you grab a grunion? No really..."
  Farther Off the Wall, by Tom Hoffarth, from dailynews.com, August 7, 2011.
• "In search of a fantabulous night to make a grunion run, because our bucket isn't even half empty"
  Farther Off the Wall, by Tom Hoffarth, from dailynews.com, August 6, 2011.
• "Grunion Run"
  By Cameron Walker, from Alaska Airlines Magazine, March 2011
• "Get ready for grunion"
  By Joseph Serna, from Daily Pilot, August 19, 2010
• "Grunion put on a show in Southern California"
  By Nancy Wride, from The Dallas Morning News, July 18, 2010
• "Grunion mating run tonight"
  By Pat Brennan, from The Orange County Register, June 28, 2010
• "The Legendary Grunion of Cabrillo Beach"
  By Karen Martin, from Cabrillo Marine Aquarium's Tidelines, Spring 2010
• "From here to eternity, the grunion put on their own show"
  By Chris Erskine, from the LA Times, June 15, 2010
• "Running with the Grunion"
  By Teisha Rowland, from the Santa Barbara Independent, April 9, 2010
• "Volunteers needed to observe grunion runs"
  By Adriane Tillman, from the SD News, April 8, 2010
• "The funny little fish can be seen spawning on the sand"
  By Laylan Connelly, from the Orange County Register, March 29, 2010  

Mixed flock of shorebirds eating grunion eggs, April, 2016, photo by Bill Figueroa

2010 Updates

In 2010, for the ninth year, over 550 adventurous citizen scientists observed the California Grunion's intimate activities on beautiful sandy beaches during the most ideal time for viewing.  Observations are reported via a web-based questionnaire and used for beach management and scientific research.

• Mid-June Update, 2010 Grunion Runs
• Early-June Update, 2010 Grunion Runs
• Mid-May Update, 2010 Grunion Runs
• Late-April Update, 2010 Grunion Runs
• Mid-April Update, 2010 Grunion Runs

More Stories

"Nighttime the Right Time to Watch the Grunion Run"
By Mike Lee, from SignOnSanDiego.com by the Union-Tribune, April 23, 2009

"Grunion Run Season Opens" by Laylan Connelly, from the Orange County Register

"Grunion Fish Wiggle Ashore to Landlubbers' Delight," By Alysia Gray Painter, from NBC Los Angeles

"Making a Grunion Run for Science," by Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times online

 

We thank the National Marine Fishery Service-SWR, Habitat Conservation Division for major funding of this citizen-scientist monitoring effort. We thank our continuing partners!