Grunion Are Running Tonight

“ASHORE TO SPAWN” ON ALL CALIFORNIA BEACHES

The grunion are running nightly on the beach’s in LA, approximately 9:30pm to 11:30pm. This phenomenon happens every couple weeks during the Spring and Summer all along the Coast of Southern California. Grunion come up onto the beach by the hundreds, to lay and fertilize their eggs. This is an experience you just won’t want to miss!

You want to go on a grunion run? There are a few things you must know before you go. First, do you know what grunion are? For those not familiar, Grunion are a species of fish that leave the water at night to spawn on beaches during the spring and summer months.

GRUNION RUN SCHEDULE 2021

MARCH

3/13 Saturday 9:40 pm – 11:40 pm
3/14 Sunday 11:00 pm – 1:00 am
3/15 Monday 11:25 pm – 1:25 am
3/16 Tuesday 11:50 pm – 1:50 am

3/28 Sunday 10:10 pm – 12:10 am
3/29 Monday 10:40 pm – 12:40 am
3/30 Tuesday 11:15 pm – 1:15 am

APRIL (observation only) Season Closed DO NOT TOUCH FISH

4/12 Monday 10:15 pm – 12:15 am
4/13 Tuesday 10:35 pm – 12:35 am
4/14 Wednesday 11:00 pm – 1:00 am
4/15 Thursday 11:25 pm – 1:25 am

4/27 Tuesday 10:05 pm – 12:05 am
4/28 Wednesday 10:45 pm – 12:45 am
4/29 Thursday 11:30 pm – 1:30 am
4/30 Friday 12:15 am – 2:15 am*

MAY (observation only) Season Closed DO NOT TOUCH FISH

5/11 Tuesday 9:35 pm – 11:35 pm
5/12 Wednesday 10:00 pm – Midnight
5/13 Thursday 10:25 pm – 12:25 am
5/14 Friday 10:55 pm – 12:55 am

5/26 Wednesday 9:40 pm – 11:40 pm
5/27 Thursday 10:25 pm – 12:25 am
5/28 Friday 11:10 pm – 1:10 am
5/29 Saturday 12:05 pm – 2:05 am*

JUNE

6/10 Thursday 9:35 pm – 11:35 pm
6/11 Friday 10:05 pm – 12:05 am
6/12 Saturday 10:40 pm – 12:40 am
6/13 Sunday 11:20 pm – 1:20 am

6/24 Thursday 9:25 pm – 11:25 pm
6/25 Friday 10:15 pm – 12:15 am
6/26 Saturday 11:00 pm – 1:00 am
6/27 Sunday 11:50 pm – 1:50 am

JULY

7/10 Saturday 10:00 pm – Midnight
7/11 Sunday 10:35 pm – 12:35 am
7/12 Monday 11:10 pm – 1:10 am
7/13 Tuesday 11:55 pm – 1:55 am

7/24 Saturday 10:05 pm – 12:05 am
7/25 Sunday 10:50 pm – 12:50 am
7/26 Monday 11:35 pm – 1:35 am
7/27 Tuesday 12:20 am – 2:20 am*

AUGUST

8/8 Sunday 9:45 pm – 11:45 pm
8/9 Monday 10:25 pm – 12:25 am
8/10 Tuesday 11:05 pm – 1:05 am
8/11 Wednesday 11:45 pm – 1:45 am

8/22 Sunday 9:55 pm – 11:55 pm
8/23 Monday 10:35 pm – 12:35 am
8/24 Tuesday 11:15 pm – 1:15 am
8/25 Wednesday 11:55 pm – 1:55 am

* Where the run starts after midnight, the date of the previous evening is shown.

The Grunion Run is a Natural Phenomenon

The most remarkable life cycles in the sea are completed when the grunion come ashore to spawn on California beaches. The grunion has been known to many Southern Californians for more than 100 years, but there are still those who are skeptical of its existence. To be invited out in the middle of the night to go and watch fish does sound a little ridiculous, but in reality this is the only way to observe this natural phenomenon.

California grunion are small, silvery fish found only along the coast of Southern California and northern Baja California. Most people would be unaware of their existence were it not for the unique spawning behavior of these fish. Unlike other fish, grunion come completely out of the water to lay their eggs in the wet sand of the beach. As if this behavior were not strange enough, grunion make these excursions only on particular nights, and with such regularity that the time of their arrival on the beach can be predicted a year in advance. This phenomenon can be seen on many beaches in Southern California. Shortly after high tide, on certain nights, sections of these beaches are sometimes covered with thousands of grunion depositing their eggs in the sand.

Grunion watching has become a popular sport in Southern California. Since these fish leave the water to deposit their eggs, they may be observed on shore while they are briefly stranded.

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