"Have a little faith, there's magic in the night..." - Bruce Springsteen
It's Closed Season (except for photos)
Lotsa Grunion Love, photo by J. Steers (click to enlarge)
Wonderful efforts and 82 reports from Grunion Greeters found spawning sites from Baja California to Santa Barbara County. “Grunion were already spawning when we arrived on the beach,” reported Greeter Leonard W. “Success! A lovely evening. My son, visiting from Colorado, was properly impressed with the exciting adventure!” exults Greeter Walter H.
Greeter Cindy S. confirms, “It was a truly amazing to experience a "4" run!” Sally B. went to her beach two nights in a row, and the second night was “As good as, if not a little better and longer than last night.” Richard P., pictured below, “saw a fantastic run for about 30+ minutes. The surf line was completely covered with grunion.” Grunion Greeter and Interpretive Ranger Bill Burhans developed an educational program for RV campers at Bolsa Chica State Beach a few years ago. He reported “This was the best grunion run we've seen at Bolsa Chica for the last three years.”
Richard Ready for Action, photo by J. Ordonez (click to enlarge)
Grunion Greeters are serious about their data collection but the evening has a social aspect as well. Dale R. “didn't see any grunion but heard an interesting story.” Frequent Greeter Betty B. and her posse “were scheduled for pizza at 5 P.M., cards till 10:15, the beach at 10:30. Hugo beat us at cards. He usually does. The hot chocolate and marshmallows were perfect with the wind and the waves.”
This is hard work for our dedicated volunteers, who go out in the middle of the night between days of work and family responsibilities. Greeter Tina M. has greeted the Grunion five times already in April and May, but missed last Thursday night. “I had every intention of going, except my body wouldn't let me,” she sighed. Tina, you’re excused.
Midnight Run, photo by D. Stern (click to enlarge)
Many fascinating oceanic features appear during grunion runs. Greeter Laura R. saw “Sparkles in the sand due to red tide.” Greeter Dana M. notes that “From the Pier looking down, you could see the grunion in the water.” While looking at grunion on the beach, Greeter P. Crosier “spotted a whole "garden' of Pacific Mole Crabs (pictured below). Who knew THAT was going on right under our feet!” Sand crabs are filter feeders that peacefully coexist with grunion in the surf zone.
Pacific Mole Crabs, photo by P. Crosier (click to enlarge)
Beach composition makes a difference in how the grunion behave. On a beach of mixed sand and rocks, Steve H. observed “The beach is comprised of loose cobbles with intermittent sandy areas. Grunion attempted to run in the sandy areas (W-1) and there was stranding within the cobbles and in depressions in the sand above the beach slope. I rescued as many grunion as possible.”
People make a big difference to the runs, sometimes for the worse. When watching grunion, just like any kind of wildlife, a quiet respectful awareness increases the chances of success.
We are still in CLOSED SEASON – no take is permitted – yet we see poaching and other disturbance creating problems for the grunion. Greeter Jessica A. says “grunion were there when we got there. Then some other people came and were playing football and drinking (being noisy). Then the grunion went away and never started spawning.”
On a different beach, Olivia M. found “When we arrived there were about 20 people there, many had either bags or buckets, and one had a net. We informed them that it was closed season still, and most stopped and just watched, but 2 kept poaching and using their flashlights. They were also standing in the water. (There was a language barrier.)
“We called (1-888-DFG-CalTIP to report poachers) and told them of the situation. Soon the sheriff arrived, and we were told to leave the beach. It was not a good grunion day. Although it was a very eventful one.” Charles W. reports “Rowdy people on beach early in the run with little fish, later after the police came, a heavier run.”
Greeter Ron K. “told a man collecting grunions in a mesh bag that he's violating the law and that if he doesn't stop and empty his bag I'll report him to the police. He ignored me and took off into the darkness and disappeared.” Joe G. had better luck. “One person was told to stop and he did.”
Terje N. and partners “saw a sea lion bull systematically hunting grunion in the surf. He surfed quietly in on a wave, then laid low and kept his head underwater (presumably feasting on the fish) for perhaps a minute, next standing up raising his head high in the air like sea lion bulls do, before thrashing out into the water. Then he repeated the procedure for at least half an hour. There were (unsurprisingly) notably less spawning grunion on the beach around the sea lion.”
Other predators reported included a 3 ft Guitar fish, black crowned night herons, sanderlings, black skimmers, great blue herons, sea gulls, a snowy egret, and a barn owl that “took three passes along the surf clearly foraging” seen by Laura R. “There was a man near the first lifeguard tower with his cat. He was letting his CAT chase the grunion” says Danielle G. An “unleashed dog was eating grunion” at Bob G.’s beach.
Perhaps the most unique predator story comes from Ellen Kelley at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island. “When I first came to the island in 1985 for a summer job someone invited me to go on a grunion run. Since it was in the middle of the night and with flashlights on a distant beach, I suspected a "snipe hunt", but I was young and up for a fun adventure. Suddenly a huge number of small, silvery fish emerged from the tide and proceeded to dig into the beach while others surrounded them with great interest. I had never seen anything like that!
“As I walked through the milling throngs, I came upon what I thought in the darkness was a wide-bodied badger with the worst case of mange I had ever seen. I approached it, but unable to move or flee, the "badger" started upchucking whole grunion. This took a while. All in all, 54 whole grunion emerged from the mouth of that creature. In the process the "badger" slimmed down considerably and it became obvious that it was something else. Once it had lightened its load and could bend, the mystery creature slithered back into the ocean. It was a moray eel.”
Thanks to your observations, beach managers and maintenance workers throughout the habitat range of the grunion protect the incubating eggs in the sand. Mechanized maintenance is restricted to the area above the high tide mark on beaches where grunion spawn. Our Working Group for Beach Management in Ecologically Sensitive Areas will meet for a demonstration and Field Day on May 15 in San Diego.
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Beach Maintenance, photos by J. Ambrose
Greeters, thank you for your brave sojourns to darkened beaches seeking elusive little fish. Please be sure to sign up soon for the last runs of the closed season, and send in your reports promptly so we’ll know what happens. Your comments and photos are greatly appreciated and your data are tremendously useful.
May the fish be with you!
Grunion Eggs, photo by J. Steers (click to enlarge)
