California Grunion Facts and Expected Runs

Remember to check with city or county authorities for possible closure information about specific beaches.

Expected 2024 Runs - Open Season

Day Date Time
Su 3/10 10:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Mo 3/11 11:05 p.m. - 1:05 a.m.
Tu 3/12 11:40 p.m. - 1:40 a.m.
We 3/13 12:20 p.m. - 2:20 a.m.*
Mo 3/25 10:20 p.m. - 12:20 a.m.
Tu 3/26 10:40 p.m. - 12:40 a.m.
We 3/27 11:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Th 3/28 11:20 p.m. - 1:20 a.m.
Fr 7/5 9:25 p.m. - 11:25 p.m.
Sa 7/6 10:05 p.m. - 12:05 a.m.
Su 7/7 10:40 p.m. - 12:40 a.m.
Mo 7/8 11:20 p.m. - 1:20 a.m.
Su 7/21 9:45 p.m. - 11:45 p.m.
Mo 7/22 10:30 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Tu 7/23 11:20 p.m. - 1:20 a.m.
We 7/24 12:05 a.m. - 2:05 a.m.*
Su 8/4 9:50 p.m. - 11:50 p.m.
Mo 8/5 10:25 p.m. - 12:25 a.m.
Tu 8/6 11:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
We 8/7 11:30 p.m. - 1:30 a.m.
Mo 8/19 9:35 p.m. - 11:35 p.m.
Tu 8/20 10:20 p.m. - 12:20 a.m.
We 8/21 11:10 p.m. - 1:10 a.m.
Th 8/22 Midnight - 2:00 a.m.*

Expected 2024 Runs - Closed Season (Observation Only)

Day Date Time
Mo 4/8 9:50 p.m. - 11:50 p.m.
Tu 4/9 10:25 p.m. - 12:25 a.m.
We 4/10 11:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Th 4/11 11:40 p.m. - 1:40 a.m.
Tu 4/23 9:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.
We 4/24 9:55 p.m. - 11:55 p.m.
Th 4/25 10:20 p.m. - 12:20 a.m.
Fr 4/26 10:50 p.m. - 12:50 a.m.
Tu 5/7 9:15 p.m. - 11:15 p.m.
We 5/8 9:50 p.m. - 11:50 p.m.
Th 5/9 10:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Fr 5/10 11:10 p.m. - 1:10 a.m.
Th 5/23 9:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Fr 5/24 10:00 p.m. - Midnight
Sa 5/25 10:40 p.m. - 12:40 a.m.
Su 5/26 11:20 p.m. - 1:20 a.m.
Th 6/6 9:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Fr 6/7 10:15 p.m. - 12:15 a.m.
Sa 6/8 10:55 p.m. - 12:55 a.m.
Su 6/9 11:40 p.m. - 1:40 a.m.
Fr 6/21 9:10 p.m. - 11:10 p.m.
Sa 6/22 9:50 p.m. - 11:50 p.m.
Su 6/23 10:35 p.m. - 12:35 a.m.
Mo 6/24 11:20 p.m. - 1:20 a.m.

Printable 2-page BROCHURE (PDF) of the information on this page, containing facts and expected runs for California grunion.

* Where the forecast run starts at or after midnight, the date of the previous evening is shown.

The times given for each date reflect the probable two-hour interval during which a spawning run may occur. The second hour is usually better. The best runs normally occur on the second and third nights of a four-night period.

This schedule predicts grunion runs at Cabrillo Beach near the Los Angeles Harbor entrance. The timing of the runs varies at different places along the coast: San Diego runs occur about 5 minutes earlier and Santa Barbara runs occur about 25 minutes later than the times provided here.

REMINDER: During the open season, a California fishing license is required for persons 16 years and older. Grunion may be taken by hand only. No holes may be dug in the beach to entrap them. The daily bag and possession limit for grunion is 30 fish, effective June 1, 2022.

For more important grunion information, see the Grunion Facts and FAQs section. For a current schedule, email CDFW's Marine Region.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a license to catch grunion? What about if I just plan to observe a grunion run, and not catch any?

Anyone sixteen years old and older needs a valid California sport fishing license (including the ocean enhancement stamp) to catch grunion. You do not need a license to observe a run, but if you plan to interact with the fish in any way, even if you do not plan to keep any fish, you will need a license.

Could you tell me where I can observe a grunion run in my local area?

While grunion can potentially spawn on any open, gently-sloping, sandy, wave-swept beach in southern California, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife does not recommend any particular beach over another because of changing safety conditions and local curfews. One of the best ways to find out which beaches have had recent runs is to call the state and county beach lifeguards who can often tell if spawning has taken place.

How do I find out when the grunion are running?

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife produces an annual schedule of expected grunion runs. This schedule is updated early each year.

Grunion are unusual and extremely interesting; I'd like to learn a little more about their life history. Can you recommend any additional online resources?

There are many online resources that offer information about California grunion. We recommend:

Grunion Facts

Grunion (Leuresthes tenuis), CDFW sketch by P. Johnson

The California grunion (Leuresthes tenuis) is a member of the New World silversides family, Atheriniopsidae, along with jacksmelt and topsmelt. Their usual range extends from Point Conception, California, to Point Abreojos, Baja California. Occasionally, they are found farther north, to Monterey Bay, California, and south to San Juanico Bay, Baja California. They inhabit the nearshore waters from the surf to a depth of 60 ft. Tagging studies indicate that they do not migrate.

Grunion are the object of a unique recreational fishery. These fish are famous for their remarkable spawning behavior, which evokes an “I don’t believe it!” response from people seeing or hearing about it for the first time.

Grunion leave the water at night to spawn on beaches during the spring and summer months. For four consecutive nights, beginning on the nights of the full and new moons, spawning occurs after high tides and continues for several hours. As waves break on the beach, grunion swim as far up the slope as possible. The female arches her body and excavates the semi-fluid sand with her tail to create a nest. She twists her body and digs into the sand until she is half buried, with her head sticking up. She then deposits her eggs in the nest. Males curve around the female and release milt. The milt flows down the female's body until it reaches and fertilizes the eggs. As many as eight males may fertilize the eggs in a single nest. After spawning, the males immediately retreat toward the water while the female twists free and returns with the next wave. While spawning may only take 30 seconds, some fish remain stranded on the beach for several minutes.

Spawning occurs from March through August, and occasionally in February and September. Peak spawning is late March to early June.

Mature grunion may spawn during successive runs, with females spawning up to six times each season. Females lay between 1,600 and 3,600 eggs during one spawn, with larger females producing more eggs.

Eggs are deposited during the highest tides of the month and incubate in the sand during the lower tides, when they will not be disturbed by wave action. The eggs are kept moist by residual water in the sand. They hatch about 10 days later, during the next high tide series, when they are inundated with sea water and agitated by rising surf.

Most grunion seen on southern California beaches are between 5 and 6 in. long, with some are as long as 7 in. An average one-year old male is 4½ in. long while a female the same age is slightly larger at 5 in. Grunion mature and spawn at the end of the first year. At the end of two years, males average 5½ in. and females are around 5¾ in. long. By the end of three years, an average male is nearly 6 in. and a female is a little over 6¼ inches in length. Few live for more than three years.

Grunion food habits are not well known. They have no teeth, so they are presumed to feed on very small organisms. Shore birds, isopods, flies, sand worms, and beetles eat grunion eggs, while humans, larger fish, and other animals prey upon grunion.

Despite local concentrations, grunion are not abundant. The most critical problem facing the grunion resource is the loss of spawning habitat caused by beach erosion, harbor construction, and pollution. By the 1920s, the fishery was showing definite signs of depletion. A regulation was passed in 1927 establishing a closed season of three months, from April through June. The fishery improved, and in 1947 the closure was shortened to April through May. In 2022, the closure was again extended from April through June to better protect grunion during their peak spawning period, and a bag and possession limit of 30 fish was established.

During the open season, a fishing license is required for persons 16 years and older to capture grunion. Grunion may be taken by sport fishermen using hands only. No holes may be dug in the beach to entrap them. The daily bag and possession limit during the open season is currently 30 grunion.

To help conserve grunion populations, it is better to observe and learn rather than to hunt and collect. If you enjoy watching the mating ritual of grunion, please do not disturb the females depositing eggs tail first in the sand or the incubating eggs they leave behind. This will allow the grunion to complete the spawning portion of their life cycle and contribute to future grunion spawning events. The females do not die after spawning. In fact, they can spawn several times during a 4-day spawning event, and spawn in multiple events every year during their 3- to 4-year life span.

While grunion spawn on many beaches in southern California, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife does not recommend any particular beach because of changing safety conditions and local curfews. One of the best ways to find out which beaches have had recent runs is to call the state and county beach lifeguards who can often tell if spawning has taken place. There is a grunion program offered to the public at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro on several nights of the season. Visit the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium(opens in new tab) for more information.

Additional frequently asked questions(opens in new tab), information on volunteer programs, and other information may be found at www.grunion.org(opens in new tab).

Grunion illustration

The Amazing Grunion

California Department of Fish and Game
Marine Resources Leaflet No. 3 by Jerome Spratt
Originally printed 1971
Online version updated February, 2022

Introduction

Along Southern California's sandy beaches, from March through September, one of the most remarkable life cycles in the sea is completed: the California grunion come ashore to spawn. The grunion has been known to many Southern Californians for more than 100 years, but there are still those who are skeptical of its existence. To be invited out in the middle of the night to go and watch fish does sound a little ridiculous, but in reality this is the only way to observe this natural phenomenon.

California grunion are small, silvery fish found only along the coast of Southern California and northern Baja California. Most people would be unaware of their existence were it not for the unique spawning behavior of these fish. Unlike other fish, grunion come completely out of the water to lay their eggs in the wet sand of the beach. As if this behavior were not strange enough, grunion make these excursions only on particular nights, and with such regularity that the time of their arrival on the beach can be predicted a year in advance. This phenomenon can be seen on many beaches in Southern California. Shortly after high tide, on certain nights, sections of these beaches are sometimes covered with thousands of grunion depositing their eggs in the sand.

Grunion watching has become a popular sport in Southern California. Since these fish leave the water to deposit their eggs, they may be observed on shore while they are briefly stranded. The common sight of thousands of people lining the more popular beaches in Southern California in anticipation of a grunion run attests to its ever-growing popularity. Often there are more people than fish, so to protect the species, it is important to let them spawn without disturbance. All that is needed to observe grunion is an adventurous spirit and the patience to find a promising beach and then wait for a run to begin.

Description

Grunion are small slender fish with bluish green backs, silvery sides and bellies. Their average length is between 5 and 6 inches. Early Spanish settlers called this fish grunion, which means grunter. This term has been anglicized into grunion. Grunion are known to make a faint squeaking noise while spawning. The scientific name for the California grunion is Leuresthes tenuis, and this fish belongs to the family Atherinidae, commonly known as silversides. Other more abundant atherinids found in California are the topsmelt, Atherinops affinis, and jacksmelt, Atherinopsis californiensis. Silversides differ from true smelts, family Osmeridae, in that they lack the trout-like adipose fin.

Distribution

The principal range of the grunion is between Point Conception in southern California and Punta Abreojos in Baja California, Mexico. However, there are small populations both north and south of these points. Occasionally grunion may appear in fair numbers as far north as Morro Bay, California, and spawning has been reported as far north as Monterey Bay, California. Recently, grunion have been observed spawning inside San Francisco Bay. A close relative of the California grunion is the gulf grunion, Leuresthes sardina, which is found in the Gulf of California. This species spawns both day and night, while the California grunion spawns only at night.

Life History

The spawning season extends from late February or early March to August or early September, varying slightly in length from year to year. Actual spawning runs are restricted to relatively few hours during this period. Grunion spawn only on 3 or 4 nights after the highest tide associated with each full or new moon and then only for a 1 to 3 hour period each night following high tide.

Spawning runs typically begin with single fish (usually males) swimming in with a wave and occasionally stranding themselves on the beach. Gradually, more and more fish come in with the waves and by swimming against the outflowing wave strand themselves until the beach is covered by a blanket of grunion. Spawning normally starts about 20 minutes after the first fish appear on the beach. Typically a run lasts 1 to 3 hours, but the number of fish on the beach at any given moment can vary from none, to thousands. Peak activity is reached about an hour after the start of the run and lasts from 30 to 60 minutes. Finally, when the tide has dropped a foot or more, the run slackens and then stops as suddenly as it started. No more fish will be seen that night, and they will not appear again until the next night or the next series of runs.

Observing grunion can be much more interesting than catching them. Females ride a far reaching wave onto the beach accompanied by as many as eight males. If no males are present,a female will return to the ocean with the outflowing wave. In the presence of males, she swims as far up on the beach as possible and literally drills herself into the sand as the wave recedes. This is accomplished by arching her body with the head up, and at the same time vigorously wriggling her tail back and forth. As her tail sinks into the semifluid sand, she twists her body and drills herself downward until she is buried up to the pectoral fins. Occasionally she may bury herself completely. The male (or males) curves around her as he lies on top of the sand, with his vent close to or touching her body. The female continues to twist, emitting her eggs 2 or 3 inches beneath the surface of the sand. Males discharge their milt onto the sand near the female and then immediately start to wriggle towards the water. The milt flows down the body of the female and fertilizes the eggs. The female then frees herself from the sand with a violent jerking motion and returns to the sea with the next wave to reach her. This entire process takes about 30 seconds, but individual fish may remain on the beach for several minutes.

Larger females are capable of producing up to 3,000 eggs every 2 weeks. As the mature eggs are deposited in the sand, another group of eggs are developing that will be spawned during the next series of runs. This cycle continues throughout the season. During the early part of the season only older fish spawn, but as the season progresses fish hatched the previous year come into spawning condition and join the runs. Fish of all ages will spawn by April and May.

Fate of the Eggs

The eggs are initially deposited 2 to 3 inches below the surface of the sand by the female. The outgoing tide deposits sand onto the beach covering the eggs to a depth of 8 to 16 inches. Here the eggs remain in the moist sand. They will be ready to hatch in about 10 days, but remain viable until they are freed from the sand by the next series of high tides to reach them. The baby grunion hatch 2 or 3 minutes after the eggs are freed from the sand and are washed out to sea.

Age and Growth

Young grunion grow very rapidly and are about 5 inches long by the time they are 1 year old and ready to spawn. The normal life span is 2 or 3 years, but individuals 4 years old have been found. The maximum size attained is between 6 and 7 inches. The growth rate slows after the first spawning and stops completely during the spawning season, consequently the fish grow only during the fall and winter. This cessation of growth during spawning causes a mark to form on each scale, and the age of the fish can be determined by counting these marks, much like the age of a tree can be determined by counting its "growth" rings.

The life history of grunion while at sea is not well known, but these fish apparently spend most of their life close to shore in water 15 to 40 feet deep.

Role of the Tides

Tides

Tides are caused by forces exerted on the earth by celestial bodies in direct proportion to their mass. Theoretically all celestial bodies affect the tides but realistically only the sun and moon need be considered.

Since the sun has 26 million times the mass of the moon, one might expect it to be the dominant tide producing force. However, the force exerted by a celestial body decreases rapidly as its distance from earth increases (inversely proportional to the square of the distance). Consequently, the sun, being almost 400 times farther from earth than the moon, exerts less than half as much force as the moon.

Tidal highs and lows vary according to the relative positions of the sun, earth, and moon (see link to Chart, below). Highest and lowest tides occur when the sun, earth, and moon are most in line, such as during full moon (sun and moon on opposite sides of the earth) and new moon (sun and moon on the same side of the earth). These tides are known as "spring" tides. The tides occurring during the first and last quarters of the moon, when the sun and moon are least in line, are known as "neap" tides and are intermediate in range.

Grunion Behavior in Relation to Tides

Grunion have adapted to tidal cycles in a precise manner (see link to Chart, below). Along the Pacific coast of North America the two daily high tides vary in height, and the higher of the two occurs at night during spring and summer months. Grunion spawn only on these higher tides, and after the tide has started to recede. Since waves tend to erode sand from the beach as the tide rises and deposit sand as the tide falls, it is obvious that if grunion spawn on a rising tide the succeeding waves would wash the eggs out. This danger is eliminated since spawning usually is confined to the falling tide. In addition, grunion nearly always spawn on a descending series of tides when succeeding tides are lower than tides of the previous night. The eggs would be washed out prematurely by succeeding tides if spawned during the ascending tidal series. The eggs mature and are ready to hatch in about 10 days or about the time of the next series of high tides. Thus, spawning must take place soon after the highest tide in a series if the eggs are to have adequate time to develop before the next series of high tides. Looking at the tidal cycle, it becomes apparent that there are only 3 to 4 nights following the highest tide that spawning conditions are right, and it is on these nights that grunion spawn.

Chart: Relationship between the sun, moon, earth, tides and grunion behavior (PDF)

Internal Clock

How does the grunion know when the time is right to spawn? Evidently some biological mechanism or "internal clock" that can detect some change in the environment, sounds an alarm at exactly the right moment. The exact stimulus is not known, but it is suspected that they may be able to detect minute changes in water pressure caused by the rising tides. Without this ability to spawn at precisely the right moment the grunion would not survive.

What Every Grunion Hunter Should Know

Regulations

A valid California recreational fishing license is required to take grunion for anyone age 16 or older. No take is allowed when the season is closed during April, May, and June; however, this is an excellent time for observing runs. Grunion may be taken by hand only—no appliances of any kind may be used, and no holes may be dug in the beach to entrap them. During the open season, the daily bag and possession limit is 30 grunion per person. Recreational fishing license holders and persons under the age of 16 may handle grunion gently during the open season, and release them back into the water unharmed. Grunion may not be pursued or handled at all during the closed season (April - June).

When to Go

The spawning season extends from March through August, although runs in August are very small and erratic. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife issues schedules of expected grunion runs in advance of each season. These schedules of expected runs are published in newspapers and copies are given to many sporting goods stores throughout Southern California. If these are not available, all a grunion observer needs to make their own predictions is a tide table. Grunion runs may occur anytime from the night of highest tide throughout the descending series of high tides. Runs are most likely to occur on the second, third, fourth, and fifth nights following the night of the new or full moon. Generally, the third and fourth nights are best. The time of the run will be 30 to 60 minutes past high tide and it will last from 1 to 3 hours. The heaviest part of the run usually occurs at least 1 hour after the run starts.

Best Locations

Grunion runs will occur on most Southern California beaches, but may not occur every night on the same beaches and may be limited to small areas of any one beach. The ends of beaches are often the best spots. Some of the beaches in Southern California that are known to have runs are: the beach between Morro Bay and Cayucos, Pismo Beach, Santa Barbara, Malibu, Santa Monica, Venice, Hermosa Beach, Cabrillo Beach, Long Beach, Belmont Shore, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, Doheny Beach, Del Mar, La Jolla, Mission Beach and the Coronado Strand. The beaches near Ensenada in Baja California also have good runs.

Hints for Successful Grunion Observing

It is best to go to the end of an uncrowded beach. This is not always possible, but the fewer people the better. Flashlights should be used sparingly. Light may scare the fish away and they will not come out of the water. After a wave has receded, flashlights may be used to help locate fish. Finally, plan to stay late. Many people quit an hour after high tide and miss a good run.

References

Clark, Frances N. 1925. The life history of Leuresthes tenuis, an atherine fish with tide controlled spawning habits. California Department of Fish and Game, Fish Bull., (10) :1-51

Ehrlich, K. F., and D. A. Farris. 1971. Some influences of temperature on the development of the grunion Leuresthes tenuis (Ayres) . Calif. Fish and Game, 57 (1) :58-68.

Fitch, John E., and Robert J. Lavenberg. 1971. Marine Food and Game Fishes of California, Univ. Calif. Press. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London. 179 p.

Idyll, Clarence P. 1969. Grunion, the fish that spawns on land. National Geographic Magazine. 135 (5) :714-723.

Spratt, Jerome D. 1981. California grunion, Leuresthes tenuis, spawn in Monterey Bay, California. Calif. Fish and Game, 67 (2) :134.

Thompson, Will F. 1919. The spawning of the grunion (Leuresthes tenuis). Calif. Fish and Game Comm., Fish Bull., (3):1-27.

Walker, Boyd W. 1952. A guide to the grunion. Calif. Fish and Game, 38 (3) :409-420.

Woodling, Bruce A. 1968. The mysterious, dancing grunion. Sea Frontiers. 14 (3) :131-137.

Grunion spawning on a sandy beach CDFW photo

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