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event can happen in 30 seconds, but some fish remain on the beach for several minutes. Spawning may continue from March through August, with occasional extensions into
February and September. However, peak spawning is from late March through early June. Once mature, an individual may spawn during successive spawning periods at about 15-day intervals. Most females spawn about six times during the season. Counts of maturing ova to be laid at one spawning ranged from about 1,600 to about 3,600, with the larger females producing more eggs. A female might lay as many as 18,000 eggs over an entire season. The milt from the male might contain as many as one million
475:
do not have an opportunity to hatch until the next tide series high enough reaches them 10 or more days later. Grunion eggs can extend incubation and delay hatching if tides do not reach them for an additional four weeks after this initial hatching time. Most of the eggs will hatch in 10 days if provided with seawater and the agitation of the rising surf. The mechanical action of the waves is the environmental trigger for hatching. The rapidity of hatching, which occurs in less than one minute, indicates it is probably not an enzymatic function of a softening of the
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any kind may be used to catch grunion, and no holes may be dug in the beach to entrap them. Grunion may be taken on specified dates between March and the end of August, but not during the months of April and May. There is no limit, but fishermen may take only what they can use, as under
Californian law it is unlawful to waste fish. With these regulations, the resource seems to be maintaining itself at a fairly constant level.
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The periodic appearance of the grunion on
Southern California beaches, and the act of catching them, is locally known as a "grunion run". A fishing license is required for persons 16 years and older to catch grunion, and they may be taken by sport fishermen using their hands only. No appliances of
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In the 1920s, recreational fishing of grunion caused definite signs of depletion resulting in a regulation passed in 1927 that established a closed season of three months from April until June. Grunion stocks improved and in 1947 the closed season was shortened to the months of April and May. This
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The eggs incubate a few inches deep in the sand above the level of subsequent waves. They are not immersed in seawater, but are kept moist by the residual water in the sand. While incubating, they are subject to predation by shore birds and sand-dwelling invertebrates. Under normal conditions, they
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as she deposits her eggs about four inches (10 cm) below the surface. After spawning, the males immediately retreat toward the ocean. The milt flows down the female’s body until it reaches the eggs and fertilizes them. The female twists free and returns to the sea with the next wave. The whole
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on beaches from two to six nights after the full and new moon beginning soon after high tide and continuing for several hours. As a wave breaks on the beach, the grunion swim as far up the slope as possible. The female arches her body while keeping her head up and excavates the semifluid sand with
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The normal lifespan of the grunion is three to four years, although individuals up to five years old have been found. Their growth rate slows after the first spawning and stops completely during the spawning season. Consequently, adult fish grow only during the fall and winter. This growth rate
418:
Young grunion grow rapidly and are about five inches long by the time they reach one year old and are ready to spawn. Adult fish normally range in size from 6 to 7 in (15 to 18 cm) with a maximum recorded size of 8.5 in (220 mm) (San Diego, CA., 05-11-05).
621:
The coastal Native
Americans in California harvested grunion during spawning runs. Archeologists have found fossil grunion otoliths (tiny, bonelike particles or stony platelike structures in the internal ear of lower vertebrates) at various Native American campsites.
422:
Average body lengths for males and females are 4.5 and 5 in (11 and 13 cm), respectively, at the end of one year; 5.5 and 5.8 in (14 and 15 cm) at the end of two years; and 5.9 and 6.3 in (15 and 16 cm) at the end of three years.
462:
her tail. As her tail sinks, the female twists her body and digs tail first until she is buried up to her pectoral fins. After the female is in the nest, up to eight males attempt to mate with her by curving around the female and releasing their
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Despite local concentrations, the grunion is not an abundant species. While the population size is not known, all research points to a restricted resource that is adequately maintained at current harvest rates under existing regulations.
395:, is found along the coast of Baja California in the Gulf of California. Inhabiting the nearshore waters from the surf to a depth of 60 ft (18 m), marking experiments indicate they are not migratory.
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They are small, slender fish with bluish-green backs and silvery sides and bellies. Their snouts are bluntly rounded and slippery. Silversides differ from true smelts of the family
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272:, the females come up on to sandy beaches where they dig their tails into the sand to lay their eggs. The male then wraps himself around the female to deposit his
276:, and for the next 10 days the grunion eggs remain hidden in the sand. At the next set of high tides, the eggs hatch and the young grunion are washed out to sea.
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Grunion feeding habits are not well known. They have no teeth and feed on very small organisms such as
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Although some other fish species leave their eggs in locations that dry out (a few, such as
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closure is still in effect to protect grunion during their peak spawning period.
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Grunion were originally classified as part of the Old World silverside family,
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coasts. Many people enjoy catching grunion at events called "grunion runs."
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Scientists first identified grunion in San
Francisco Bay in 1860.
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to form on the scales, which have been used for determining ages.
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Grunion are known for their unusual mating ritual wherein at very
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have also been observed feeding on grunion during a grunion run.
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California's Marine Living
Resources: A Status Report – Grunion
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Beach-Spawning Fishes: Reproduction in an
Endangered Ecosystem
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prey on grunion when the fish are on shore during spawning.
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805:"California Department of Fish & Game, Marine Region"
604:"Grunion run" at La Jolla Shores in San Diego, CA (2008)
391:, Baja California Sur, in the south. The Gulf grunion,
471:. Males may participate in several spawnings per run.
383:, Baja California Sur. They are rarely found between
299:
The currently recognized species in this genus are:
938:
686:; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.).
257:, Mexico, where the species are found on both the
921:Decoding the Grunion's Ways - LA Times article
748:
746:
651:"A compendium of fossil marine animal genera"
8:
916:(Jenkins & Evermann, 1889) False grunion
523:. In a laboratory setting, grunion eat live
625:Grunion were mentioned by Spanish explorer
926:
907:(Jenkins & Evermann 1889) Gulf grunion
807:. California Department of Fish & Game
551:have been found preying on the eggs. Some
44:
27:
845:. California Department of Fish and Game.
535:The reduction of spawning habitat due to
446:
438:
375:, is found along the Pacific Coast from
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347:, but are now classified in the family
16:Common name for several species of fish
889:Does Beach Grooming Harm Grunion Eggs?
875:Grunion Greeters (volunteer observers)
826:Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. (Ser. 1) v. 2)
871:(California Dept. of Fish & Game)
629:in his ship's log dated around 1542.
596:Grunion must be caught by hand (2005)
7:
1134:Extant Pleistocene first appearances
1129:Western North American coastal fauna
880:The Cabrillo Museum Grunion Programs
451:Female grunion getting ready to mate
1144:Taxa named by Charles Henry Gilbert
503:to spawn is unique to the grunion,
841:Gregory, Paul A. (December 2001).
655:Bulletins of American Paleontology
14:
1139:Taxa named by David Starr Jordan
68:
898:(Ayres 1860) California grunion
702:California Academy of Sciences
249:, found only off the coast of
1:
203:are two fish species of the
753:Roland, T. (9 April 2010).
443:California grunion spawning
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755:"Running with the Grunion"
571:, and larger fish such as
355:silversides including the
18:
479:as in some other fishes.
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65:Scientific classification
63:
52:
43:
30:
725:; Pauly, Daniel (eds.).
543:, two species of flies,
371:The California grunion,
779:Martin, K.L.M. (2014).
649:Sepkoski, Jack (2002).
627:Juan RodrĂguez Cabrillo
279:A related species, the
19:For the submarine, see
605:
597:
452:
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407:in that they lack the
1083:Paleobiology Database
884:San Pedro, California
684:Eschmeyer, William N.
661:: 560. Archived from
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595:
497:), jumping onto land
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399:Appearance and growth
739:. June 2012 version.
579:Status of population
334:(California grunion)
21:USS Grunion (SS-216)
862:The Amazing Grunion
491:plainfin midshipman
189:Atherinopsis tenuis
914:Colpichthys regis
905:Leuresthes sardina
867:2013-03-06 at the
727:"Species in genus
606:
598:
456:California grunion
453:
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305:Leuresthes sardina
289:Gulf of California
263:Gulf of California
214:California grunion
54:California grunion
1111:
1110:
1070:Open Tree of Life
932:Taxon identifiers
896:Leuresthes tenuis
697:Catalog of Fishes
427:variation causes
387:in the north and
379:, California, to
351:along with other
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324:Leuresthes tenuis
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285:Colpichthys regis
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58:Leuresthes tenuis
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667:. Retrieved
663:the original
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525:brine shrimp
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509:grass puffer
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484:Gulf grunion
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367:Distribution
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222:Gulf grunion
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182:Type species
169:D. S. Jordan
162:
161:
57:
25:
1018:iNaturalist
964:Wikispecies
857:grunion.org
573:sand sharks
413:adipose fin
345:Atherinidae
253:, USA, and
228:. They are
226:L. sardinas
193:Ayres, 1860
138:Subfamily:
36:Pleistocene
1118:Categories
970:Leuresthes
940:Leuresthes
811:2008-03-24
729:Leuresthes
690:Leuresthes
669:2007-12-25
636:References
553:shorebirds
393:L. sardina
270:high tides
251:California
241:silverside
220:, and the
209:Leuresthes
163:Leuresthes
38:to Present
912:Fishbase
903:Fishbase
894:Fishbase
764:20 August
569:sea lions
545:sandworms
405:Osmeridae
373:L. tenuis
357:jacksmelt
353:New World
238:New World
218:L. tenuis
88:Kingdom:
82:Eukaryota
955:Q1945777
949:Wikidata
865:Archived
736:FishBase
565:Seagulls
555:such as
547:, and a
521:plankton
500:en masse
435:Breeding
361:topsmelt
339:Taxonomy
315:Evermann
128:Family:
102:Chordata
98:Phylum:
92:Animalia
78:Domain:
1036:1211687
1010:2412212
824:Ayres,
707:20 June
617:History
588:Fishing
531:Threats
515:Feeding
505:capelin
477:chorion
332:, 1860)
317:, 1889)
295:Species
234:teleost
232:-sized
230:sardine
201:Grunion
158:Genus:
148:Tribe:
118:Order:
108:Class:
31:Grunion
1101:269681
1075:274470
1062:355513
1049:166013
984:125582
787:
561:herons
557:egrets
549:beetle
541:isopod
429:annuli
411:-like
313:&
244:family
212:: the
175:, 1880
171:&
1096:WoRMS
1088:35756
1031:IRMNG
1023:89504
997:62WMY
469:sperm
459:spawn
409:trout
330:Ayres
274:sperm
205:genus
1057:NCBI
1044:ITIS
1005:GBIF
979:BOLD
785:ISBN
766:2016
709:2019
559:and
507:and
482:The
464:milt
359:and
261:and
992:CoL
882:in
659:364
1120::
1098::
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23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
