Grunion Run 101--San Diego, California.
Every spring squirming masses of small silvery fish known an grunion surf their way onto the sand of Southern California and Norther Baja beaches and every spring many humans wonder why. At the Birch Aquarium's guided grunion runs, naturalists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography will tell you why these fish do what they do. And if you're lucky you will get to see the grunion run in all their manic glory.
This photo of Birch Aquarium at Scripps is courtesy of TripAdvisor
Grunion run survival tips!
Because these fish do their running at high tide and under the safe cover of darkness, the aquarium's grunion field trips can begin as late as 11PM. Plan your napping schedule accordingly. Wear water-friends shoes for beach walking and layers to ward off the midnight chill. Bring a flashlight and make sure to use the bathroom before you leave the house. There are no restrooms on the beach and the institutes facilities are limited. The La Jolla coastal reserve is a no take area, so if you are determined to catch a grunion you will have to do it somewhere else. And you will have to wait until grunion catching season re-opens in June 2011.
Fun Grunion Fishy Facts.
Why did the grunion cross the sand? To spawn of course. This involves the female grunion corkscrewing tail first into the wet sand to deposit her eggs while as many as eight males curve around her to fertilize them. Other factoids from the Scripps naturalists? These fecund fish can lay more than 3,000 eggs per shot. Grunion can live to be four years old. They are called "grunion" because of the grunting noise they make when they come out of the water. And they are not fans of flash photography so leave your fancy camera at home.
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