11:12am
The Venice Oceanarium will celebrate tonight’s Grunion Run with a beach party at the Venice Breakwater directly down from Windward Ave. The party will start at 11pm, a peak time to watch the Grunion, a small fish from the Spelt family, spawn.
The California Department of fish and wildlife say most people can’t believe their eyes when they witness their first Grunion Run.
A female fish will surf a wave into the shoreline and dig a nest in the wet sand with her tail, twisting her body until she is half buried with her head sticking up. She then deposits her eggs in the nest and male fish will wiggle around her, fertilizing the eggs.
Spawning only takes 30 seconds but some fish remain stranded on the beach for several minutes as they await a ride out on the next wave.
Grunion spawn for four consecutive nights following the full and new moons and while the season runs from March through August and occasionally February and September, April and May are it’s peak months.
To fish Grunion you will need a license and must be older than 16 to obtain this. You can only use your hands, not dig holes or use buckets and you are limited to taking only what you need.
Grunion Fishing season is closed throughout April and May.
Despite all the fish you may see tonight, the Grunion population is not abundant.
