The Great Grunion Run

Meet the Flintstones. Meet the Flockers. Meet the Grunion?! Yep. They’re the flashiest show this side of the Oscars, and they’re on a limited run. The great grunion run is when hundreds of silvery, flashing sardine-size fish make a dazzling nighttime lunge onto some SoCal beaches to lay eggs. Grunion have good timing, breeding in spring and summer around full moons and new moons.

They arrive at night after high tide. And if you happen to be at a beach where they show, you’re in for a spectacle. Please just be respectful, and safe, when you visit. One of the places you may have a premier chance to see the grunion is at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro. California Fish and Wildlife has some of the best information on grunion runs and timing through summer. 

Bring a flashlight if you decide to wait patiently by water’s edge for the grand grunion arrival. If the seagulls don’t get to the grunion first, it’s game on as you delicately go in for a closer look at these marvelous fish that can look like a silver blanket on the sand, as they squirm, burrow, and wriggle in an egg-laying frenzy before catching the next wave back out to sea. Gone in a flash! 

NOTE: While it's very cool to see the grunion, please respect their effort to lay eggs, and don't disturb or harass them for the 'gram.

TIP: A grunion run is anticipated this weekend (Sunday, July 21, 2024). Be sure to check the California Fish and Wildlife grunion page for helpful up-to-date information, and some tips.

Photo Credit: Photo of Grunion fish by California Fish and Wildlife.