What is a grunion?

The grunion is a fish that you can catch on land. You need no fishing pole, no bait and no net to scoop him into your frying pan. In fact, it is illegal to use any fishing equipment to catch a grunion. This silvery sliver of a fish is so easy to catch and so good to eat that his home state of California has made laws to protect him. You may catch him only with your bare hands.

The most amazing thing about the grunion fish is his family life. At certain seasons, thousands of grunion slither up onto the beaches to lay their eggs. For two weeks, the precious eggs lay buried in the wet sand above the level of the water, Then, a high tide comes and sweeps them out to sea, just in time for a new generation of baby grunion to hatch.

So far as we know, grunion live only off the coast of Southern and Lower California. They are slender, silvery colored fishes and their slim fins are fringed with prickly spines. Through most of the year, great schools of them hover in the sunny, shallow waters just off the shores. Through the summer, at just the right tame of the month, they make their amazing trips to the beaches.

The excursion takes place on the second or third night after a full moon or a brand new moon. It is timed fifteen to forty minutes after the night high tide. Suddenly, thousands of the silvery fishes hit the beaches of California. They ride the big, incoming rollers and, as the waves break gently on the sand, the slithery little fishes swim ahead until they seem to be stranded.

Each mother fish is in the company of several father fish. The male and female eggs are laid separately in the wet sand where they merge together..

The female starts to wriggle back and forth., using her silvery tail to dig a hole in the soft, wet sand. When she is partly buried, she lays her eggs. The male fishes curve around the nest and lay their eggs on the surface of the sand.

All this work may be done in half a minute, though grunion can stay out of the water safely for several minutes. When the job is done, they wriggle back to the water where a big wave washes them out to sea. The little, coral pink eggs lay buried in the warm, wet sand for two weeks when the next high tide reaches their nest and washes them also out to sea, The babies hatch about three minutes after they are freed by the tide.

The grunion come ashore from March to August and sometimes they almost cover the moonlit beaches of California. They are so good to eat and so easy to catch that state laws were made to protect them. You may fish for grunion only with your bare hands and you may not fish for them at all during the months of April and May.