Grunion Monitoring

Spawning grunion – Carlsbad beach

Pepperdine University’s Dr. Karen Martin runs Grunion Greeters, a project of volunteers who go out during high tides (full and new moons) from March into August when the little silver fish are ‘running’. These volunteers are dedicated to develop a better understanding of the habits and habitats of beach-spawning grunion, Leuresthes tenuis.

During this time, the females swim ashore to lay their eggs while the males fertilize them in place. Check out this video from 2020.