Hunters scramble by torchlight as the fish flip ashore. 



The Fish That Lays Eggs 

 on Land 



by Anne Allen . . . photographs by Joseph Rustan 



ONE EXCLUSIVE that southern Californians haven't publicized 

 is the tiny, tasty grunion, the little silver fish that twice 

 monthly in summer flips itself ashore to spawn and may shortly 

 thereafter be flipped into a frying pan and so into the mouth of 

 the hungry hunter who has shivered for hours awaiting the 

 nocturnal dance of this wonder fish. 



To those who regularly seek grunion on the 350 miles of 

 southland beaches from Point Conception to Baja California, 

 the fish is an elusive but succulent morsel. State Fish and Game 

 authorities report that grunion hunting lures almost three quar- 

 ters of a million people in hope of a beach-fire banquet. The 

 4- to 6-inch fish run in for their stint of egg-laying in June, July, 

 and August. 



To help the fishermen, the State Bureau of Fish and Game 

 issues schedules which forecast the days of grunion runs. Even 

 the experts can't tell for sure when, where, or if the grunion will 

 appear, but most likely are the four nights with highest tides in 

 each two-week period, after the peak tide of the evening. 



At the full and dark of the moon the grunion gather off some 

 relatively calm-water beach until the turn of the tide. Then 

 thousands of them plunge ashore, covering the sand three and 

 four deep. No one knows which beach the grunion will choose. 



Dr. Frances N. Clark, of California Fisheries Laboratory on 

 Terminal Island, is one of the world's few grunion experts. She 

 reports that in a single run she has seen an estimated million 

 fish come up on the beach to spawn. Some enthusiasts liken the 

 spectacle to a shimmering sea ballet because the females literally 

 dance on their tails on the glistening damp sands. 



Bare hands are the only legal tackle in taking grunion. 247 



