Coast : Brief Spring Grunion Run Comes and Goes

The brief spring run of grunion, the little fish that fling themselves up on the beaches where they can be caught by hand during certain phases of the moon, is due to end after midnight today, a spokesman for the state Department of Fish and Game said Wednesday.

The March appearance of the grunion began Tuesday, especially on the sandy beaches in Dana Point, Newport Beach and Laguna Beach. But Fish and Game’s Pat Moore said the grunion can show up on any flat beach in locations that are relatively quiet at night.

Usually the females start coming ashore around midnight, lay their eggs in the sand and wriggle back into the water while male fish come along to fertilize the eggs. The entire process takes only a few seconds, Moore said, and it is during those moments that they can be scooped up.

No nets or gloves or other implements may be used, Moore said, only bare hands, and the fishermen who are over 16 must have valid licenses.

The midnight run is expected to begin between 12:08 and 2:08 a.m. Friday.

It will be the last run during which grunion may be caught legally until late May. Moore said an off-season is observed to ensure that the shiny fish lay enough eggs to reproduce their population.

The season resumes with runs between May 31 and June 16, June 27 to June 30, with other appearances in July and August.

While it is often a cold, wet process to harvest the little fish, Moore said, “they fry up into a mighty tasty dish.”