Run Grunions.. RUN!!!!

 

Sometimes between the month's of March through September, a remarkable life cycle of the sea is completed. This is a time when hundreds of thousands of grunions (Leuresthes tenuis) swim to shore to spawn. It is referred to by locals as the Grunion Run and all you need to fish is a set of hands and a sack. These are little silvery fish about 6 inches long are found only along the coast of southern CA and north Baja CA (Mexico). They differ for most fish as they come completely out of the water to lay their eggs in the wet sand only one to four night per year for only about 1 to 3 hours. And they are known to make a faint squeaking noise while spawning. Their arrival can generally be predicted one year in advance.

Unfortunately, these fish need to run catching them has become a traditional sport for the locals. I do believe you still need a license to catch these fish. Once she finds her mate, she swim as far up the beach as possible and burrows herself in the sand with only her head up as she releases her eggs. The males above fertilize the eggs as they discharge milt onto the sand. The milt flows down the body of the female and the wallah, the eggs are fertilized. In about 10 days, the babies hatch and are taken out to sea with the tide.