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 2018

These Fish Are All About Sex on the Beach

***Official Selection at the 2018 International Ocean Film Festival in San Francisco.

 

Hero of the Week

Los Angeles' KNX Newsradio named Dr. Karen Martin as their Hero of the Week. Give a listen!

2017 Updates for Grunion Greeters

• Mid-April
• May
• End of Season

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 2018! The grunion are running!
• 2018 Season Grunion Greeters - We will be holding one training workshop this year at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps. Click here or visit the Volunteer to Greet the Grunion page.
• Even if you don't go to a workshop we welcome your reports. 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.
• Beach Ecology Coalition spring meeting - The Fourteenth Annual Spring Field Day of the Beach Ecology Coalition will be held in May, 2017.  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).

How A Dream Can Change from Alora Yarbrough.

News and Stories

• "Fish out of water: grunion runs launch on San Diego beaches"
  By Deborah Sullivan Brennan, Contact Reporter, San Diego Union-Tribune
• "Looking for grunion? East Bay parks leading outing at Alameda's Crown beach"
  From Staff Reports, East Bay Times
• "SoCal’s ‘sex-crazed fish party’ — the grunion run — may be facing difficulties"
  By Adrianna Cargill on KPCC, www.scpr.org
• Ocean Spaces
  See the contributions of the Grunion Greeters to the California Marine Protected Area baseline reports
• "Silver fish Surf the Waves to Spawn on California Beaches"
  By Joanna Klein in "The New York Times"
• "Mooney Goes Wild Tonight: Going For Grunion"
  From "RTE Radio 1"
• "Grunion Run Season Has Begun, Which Means Thousands of Fish Will Swim onto L.A.'s Beaches for Love"
  By Thomas harlander in "Los Angeles Magazine"
• "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

2007 Updates

Ten years ago, hundreds of 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.

• Early April
• Late April
• Early May
• Mid May
• Early June
• Mid June
• End of Season

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!